Move of Metra rail yard from Crystal Lake to Woodstock picks up steam

Work to move the Metra rail yard from Crystal Lake to near Woodstock is moving forward, although not without some opposition.

The McHenry County Board voted this week on the formal allocation of $1.8 million towards the project; out of that comes a $212,500 local match for a federal grant the project received.

The county has earmarked $11 million of RTA sales tax funds for the project, which provides a place for Metra cars to be stored during down times. The remaining $9.2 million of the expected cost to the county will come in future years. That sales tax in the county currently is 0.75%, but the McHenry County Council of Governments has thrown its support behind transit funding schemes that would increase that tax in the midst of a looming fiscal cliff.

The County Board also signed off on an intergovernmental agreement with Metra for the design and engineering work for the rail yard.

Scott Hennings, the assistant director of transportation at the county, said last week the project is currently in the environmental engineering process and next steps include buying the land and designing the facility.

Hennings said the project has been the county’s five-year transportation program for more than 10 years.

The long-planned relocation of the rail yard could mean savings on equipment costs and more train service to Woodstock and along the Union Pacific-Northwest line, and it could help spark transit-oriented development in Woodstock – benefits that have been touted by transportation, county and city officials.

It could also give Crystal Lake the opportunity to redevelop the existing rail yard property. Rail yards that serve the UP-Northwest line are at capacity, so adding more trains wouldn’t be possible without an expanded yard, officials have said.

The approvals came as part of the County Board consent agenda Tuesday evening. Board member Eric Hendricks, R-Lake in the Hills, voted against the consent agenda due to the rail yard. Hendricks has questioned whether the rail yard was the best use of the RTA dollars. He said the county could be using RTA sales tax funds to help offset the cost of unfunded mandates instead of the rail yard.

The RTA sales tax funds can also be used on public safety purposes, but McHenry County’s dollars are all spent on transportation.

“We’re expending money that could be used elsewhere for decreased ridership that is trending in the right direction, I suppose, but I just question whether it’s the best use of our taxpayer dollars,” Hendricks said.

Board member Matt Kunkle, R-Algonquin, took a more long-term approach to the project.

He said the rail yard project would bring in construction jobs but would also bring in a lot of commerce once it’s finished.

“I think for the overall stability and health of McHenry County’s future ... growth, I think this is a good program,” Kunkle said.

Board member Brian Sager, R-Woodstock, said he agreed with Kunkle. Sager who sits on the RTA board and is a former longtime mayor of Woodstock, said there is a “very strong push for walkable communities and sustainable communities for transit.”

Sager added the parking function for Metra in the county is in downtown Crystal Lake and the city wants to use that space “for growth and development.”

The current Crystal Lake rail yard is near the Crystal Lake train station downtown. Crystal Lake city officials said in response to a Northwest Herald inquiry that the primary benefits for the city if the rail yard moved “would be that noise from idling and warming trains would be reduced for the surrounding neighborhoods and visibility looking down the tracks would be improved.”

The rail yard move comes as transit agencies in the Chicago area face a looming “fiscal cliff.” Pace, Metra and the CTA have been using American Rescue Plan Act dollars to get by after ridership dropped dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the money is drying up. If the $730 million budget gap is not filled, service could be cut by up to 40%, transportation officials have warned.

The agency has called on the state of Illinois to step in and help resolve the problem and has said Illinois underfunds its transit systems compared to other states with large metropolitan areas.

In the transit realm, McHenry County leaders remain opposed to efforts to consolidate the RTA, Pace and CTA boards. County officials are OK with a stronger RTA board, but don’t want to merge the three boards due to concerns of shouldering CTA debt or diluting suburban voices.

• Reporter Michelle Meyer contributed to this story.