Joliet Union Station Platforms to Close Friday

From the City of Joliet:

New commuter platforms form the Rock Island and Heritage Corridor rail lines will open this week in Joliet as existing Union Station platforms close.

Related: Joliet Board OK’s Deal for New Train Station

Beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26, Metra and Amtrak passenger rail services for Joliet will relocate from the existing Joliet Union Station Platforms to the newly constructed platforms for the Joliet Gateway Center.

All trains arriving and departing prior to 10 a.m. Friday will use the existing Joliet Union Station platforms.

All trains arriving and departing after 10 a.m. Friday will use the newly constructed platforms.

Access points to the new Metra Rock Island platform are located at Mayor Art Schultz Drive and Eastern Avenue. Handicapped parking and an ADA accessible elevator are located at the east end of the platform. An additional set of stairs, but no elevator, is located at the west end of the platform.

Access to the new temporary Metra Heritage Corridor/Amtrak platform is located at the northwest corner of Mayor Art Schultz Drive and Jefferson Street. Stairs and an ADA compliant ramp are provided at this location. A wheelchair lift is also available at track level to facilitate boarding of trains.

Metra and Amtrak ticket offices will also relocate out of Union Station into temporary facilities. The temporary Metra ticket office will be located on the east side of Mayor Art Schultz Drive just south of Jefferson Street and begin operations at 4:45 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.

The temporary Amtrak ticket office will be located on the northwest corner of Mayor Art Schultz Drive and Jefferson Street, and begin operations at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.

The temporary ticket offices will remain in place until the construction of the new train station is complete. The new train station, to be located at the southwest corner of Mayor Art Schultz Drive and Jefferson Street is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2016.

The existing Union Station tunnel will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The newly reconstructed $1/day commuter parking lot located along the north side of the new Rock Island platform is available to commuters beginning Friday, September 26, 2014. Access to this lot is from the new entrance on the south side of Jefferson Street, just east of Mayor Art Schultz Drive.

Joliet Gateway Center project updates can be found at www.jolietgatewaycenter.com and also on the City website at www.cityofjoliet.info. Commuters are encouraged to check often for current conditions and may sign up for automated notifications.