Village President Urges Completion of Studies to Extend Metra Service

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego Village President Gail Johnson and Village Administrator Dan Di Santo spoke Wednesday at the Metra Board meeting in support of completing the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Studies to extend Metra Commuter Rail Service to Oswego and Kendall County, according to a release from the Village.

Planning for this extension began in the late 1990s and had been progressing until Metra suddenly halted the two planning studies in August 2015, the release said.

“As community leaders, we have an obligation to plan for the future. Extending Metra service to Oswego is essential to providing access to jobs, education, and healthcare for our growing population,” President Johnson said in the release.

In a rare move, the Metra Board engaged in a discussion following the public comment testimony. Several board members asked questions about the project and confirmed the $7.5 million is reserved for the Kendall County Metra extension project.

“We wanted to let the current Metra Board know what we have known for decades - this extension is necessary and Oswego is committed to making it happen, no matter what it takes,” Di Santo said in the release.

The two studies are completely funded by acts of Congress from the mid 2000s, the release said.

Early this year, Senator Mark Kirk, Congressman Bill Foster, every state legislator representing Oswego, Kendall County Board Chairman John Shaw and the Mayors of Oswego, Montgomery, Yorkville, Plano and Sandwich sent letters to Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority asking them to complete the studies.

A group of stakeholders is expected to meet with Metra leadership and Congressman Randy Hultgren on March 5 to further discuss the regional project.