Kenosha station
| Company type | Commuter rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Headquarters | Kenosha, Wisconsin , United States |
Area served | Kenosha County and Chicago metropolitan area |
| Products | Commuter rail services |
Kenosha station, situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin, serves as the northern endpoint of Metra's Union Pacific North Line, which travels southward to Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center. It holds the distinction of being the only Metra stop located outside Illinois, positioned from Ogilvie. Because it falls beyond the jurisdiction of the RTA, the city of Kenosha provides partial funding for its operations. This station represents the furthest north point within both the Metra and RTA systems. In 2018, it was ranked 135th out of 236 non-downtown Metra stations in terms of weekday passenger boardings, with an average of 345 riders.
Within Kenosha County, it is the exclusive passenger rail facility; the closest Amtrak station is located in Sturtevant.
The station offers a connection to Kenosha's streetcar system, with a stop conveniently located next to its parking area.
As of February 16, 2024, service at Kenosha includes twelve trains on weekdays (six inbound and six outbound), twelve on Saturdays (five inbound and seven outbound), and six on Sundays and holidays (three in each direction). The premises contain a modest coach yard used for storing trainsets overnight and during weekends, along with a maintenance facility operated by Union Pacific.
History
Established in 1855 by the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway and later acquired by the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1869, Kenosha station once hosted prominent C&NW trains such as the Twin Cities 400, Flambeau 400, Shoreland 400, Valley 400, and Peninsula 400. Passenger intercity rail service ceased in 1971, after which the station has been dedicated solely to commuter rail operations. Other commuter routes extending from Chicago into Wisconsin, including the KD Line to Harvard (discontinued in 1939) and the branch of the Northwest Line to Williams Bay (reduced to Lake Geneva in 1966 and terminated beyond the state border by 1975), have been discontinued. Additionally, commuter service provided by the Milwaukee Road to Walworth was cut back to Fox Lake in 1982.
Between 2004 and 2006, the historic station underwent significant restoration. Currently, Metra does not maintain a ticket office at this location; instead, the waiting area has been repurposed as a dining space for a fast food establishment.
Kenosha station is planned as the southern endpoint for proposed regional rail lines connecting Kenosha–Racine–Milwaukee. These plans include the KRM Commuter Link concept introduced in 2010, which features cross-platform transfers with Metra services, as well as the more recent Wisconsin Transit & Realty initiative from 2022.
Transit connections
- Kenosha Area Transit
- Kenosha Streetcar
- Coach USA (Wisconsin Coach Lines) – Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Route