Huntley chosen for stop on new Chicago-to-Rockford train line. But where will the station go?

A Metra stop could be coming to downtown Huntley, but officials are concerned about parking and costs.

Last year, Huntley was announced as one of the municipalities that would be getting a stop on the proposed Chicago-to-Rockford Metra line.

The service is expected to launch in 2027, have maximum speeds of 79 mph and take about two hours from Rockford to Chicago, according to a presentation from the Illinois Department of Transportation to the Huntley Village Board.

Ahead of a scheduled public meeting on the plans Wednesday, IDOT staff and a consultant shared updates on the project.

Elliot Ramos, bureau chief of passenger rail corridor management for IDOT, said the line would run from Chicago’s Union Station to a new station that would be located in downtown Rockford between Main and Winnebago streets.

The project comes with a $275 million price tag, with that coming out of the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan approved by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2019. The ticket costs and process still are being worked out, according to the presentation.

Notably, the tracks pass Marengo and the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, but current plans don’t indicate either will have a stop.

Huntley will be a stop on the new route, but officials have concerns with a potential downtown station, including parking, traffic and costs.

One possible location for the train station is next to the Cornell Apartment complex near the adjacent parking lot, according to the presentation. The station would be on the east side of the tracks, southeast of the Route 47-Main Street intersection. Vacant land sits on the west side of the track.

The proposed location also is near the Hackett House, which Huntley plans to convert to incubator shops. There is a newly redone parking lot in the vicinity as well, and parking was among the concerns that officials had.

Trustee JR Westberg asked whether there was additional land available for potential acquisition west of the train tracks. Ramos said the budget is pretty tight, but it “could be a conversation that we have.”

Westberg said he was nervous about the prospect of 30 or 40 people leaving their cars downtown over the weekend.

“It looks like a lot of parking, but there’s not,” Westberg said. “We’re already having problems currently trying to find more parking for another restaurant.”

Village President Tim Hoeft said he doesn’t think Huntley currently has a parking issue downtown, but that might change. He said land acquisition on the west side of the tracks might be “beneficial” for IDOT officials to look at.

Growth also was on village officials’ minds. Although there’s currently expected to be four stops per day with the new train service, some Village Board members brought up the potential for a commuter rail.

The Chicago-to-Rockford line is considered intercity rail, similar to other rail in Illinois, such as service to Carbondale and Quincy, according to the presentation.

“If we do a train station, you got one shot to do it and do it right,” Hoeft said, adding that looking at potential growth in the future, he didn’t see how a downtown station could accommodate that growth.

Ramos confirmed to the Village Board that the $275 million budget includes installing platforms at the stop. However, local communities will be on the hook for station maintenance, which Trustee Vito Benigno noted in his comments. Benigno said he wasn’t sure the positives outweighed the negatives on having a station in town.

“It would increase traffic, it would increase our financial obligations just to maintain the areas, it would put an additional burden on our city services,” Benigno said.

According to a portion of the presentation to the Village Board featuring frequently asked questions, municipalities have the opportunity to opt out of stations, but IDOT needs to know as soon as possible.

Courtney McCormick, an IDOT consultant, told the Village Board that if a station is desired, there are requirements.

“Platforms have to meet [Americans With Disabilities Act] requirements,” McCormick said. “Does the station actually have to happen? That’s up to the community.”

The public meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Huntley Park District, 12015 Mill St. It will be an open-house format with a presentation and picture boards, and IDOT staff will be there to answer questions.

Hoeft said officials need more answers on some of the finances.

“Our job is to look out for the taxpayers of this fine village,” Hoeft said.