McHenry station
| Company type | Commuter rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Headquarters | McHenry , United States |
| Products | Passenger rail service |
McHenry serves as a terminal station on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line, situated in McHenry, Illinois. It marks the endpoint of the McHenry Branch, with inbound services traveling toward the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago. This station is the only stop on the branch after it diverges at , although the route once continued to Williams Bay, Wisconsin. There have been proposals to enhance service by introducing new stations at Prairie Grove and Johnsburg. Positioned at , McHenry is the fifth most distant Metra station from Chicago, following , , , and . The majority of trains on the Northwest Line operate along the Harvard branch instead of the McHenry Branch.
The facility consists of a single platform adjacent to one track, indicative of its limited train frequency. Additionally, two storage tracks are available for housing trains overnight as well as during weekends and holidays. The station is constructed at ground level and includes one grade crossing within a Federal Railroad Administration designated quiet zone. In 2018, McHenry was ranked 198th out of 236 non-downtown Metra stations, with an average weekday boarding figure of 85 passengers.
As of February 16, 2024, service at McHenry comprises six trains on weekdays—three inbound and three outbound—with no operations during weekends or holidays on this branch.
Station layout
McHenry station features a single platform alongside two tracks: one dedicated to revenue service and a siding used for trains not in operation. Though currently inactive, these tracks extend to Barnard Mill Road in Ringwood, Illinois, terminating near the Dow Chemical facility where the Union Pacific McHenry Subdivision ends. The section beyond Richmond to Ringwood was dismantled in 1980 following service reductions. Union Pacific maintained trackage for local freight serving industries around McHenry, which have since ceased operations. Presently, Terra Cotta Industries in Prairie Grove—located approximately four miles south of McHenry station—is the only remaining freight customer on the McHenry Subdivision.
Pace bus connections
As of October 2018:
- 806 Crystal Lake/Fox Lake
- 807 Woodstock/McHenry via Wonder Lake