Cost Spike In Elmhurst Train Station Project

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst is now expecting its Metra train station project to cost $40 million.

That is 60 percent higher than the $25 million estimate that city officials gave in 2020.

City Manager Jim Grabowski revealed the new cost estimate as part of a larger presentation on capital projects at Monday's City Council meeting.

Grabowski blamed the increase on inflation, soil issues and delays in getting approvals from the state Department of Transportation.

"The price has gone up significantly," he said. "We continue to work on the design, and we also continue to work toward additional grant funds."

He said the city has had "positive conversations" with agencies involved in getting grants for the project.

The city has said $20 million of the project's costs would come from outside grants.

The project is expected to include the new station, warming shelters, a pedestrian tunnel, a platform reconstruction and surface parking improvements.

In the spring, the city said it planned to bid on the project in late 2023 and start construction in 2024.

The current station, which is considered undersized for its ridership, is the fourth busiest in the Metra system. It was built in the 1960s and updated in the 1980s.

Projections show that the station's weekday boarding will increase by a quarter by 2038.

The city has a number of partners in the project – the Department of Transportation, Metra, Union Pacific and the Pace bus agency.