Metra Officials Pledge to Work on Homewood Station

After a tour of Homewood’s dilapidated Metra station, the railway’s officials agreed that something must be done to address some of its biggest issues.

Metra officials last week agreed to devise a plan for fixing their portion of the Homewood station after hearing from Homewood officials.

Issues include “peeling paint, leaks, aging elevators, worn-out platform treads and deteriorating stucco and ceiling tiles,” in addition to crumbling stairs in the tunnel, reports Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle.

Metra Chief Engineering Officer Bruce Marcheschi promised to provide a list of repairs to be made in the short-term, along with a schedule of work to be completed. An engineering study will be commissioned in 2016; if funding is available, major renovations will be planned for 2017.

Trustee Lisa Purcell said she hopes Homewood’s station can be moved to the top of the priority list.

“We have put a ton of money into our downtown in recent years,” said Purcell, as reported by the Chronicle, “and I am so embarrassed when somebody who’s never been to Homewood gets off the train and this is their first impression.”

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