SouthEast Service
| Company type | Planned commuter rail service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Metra |
Area served | Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, United States |
| Products | Commuter rail service using Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) |
| Parent | Metra |
The SouthEast Service represents a planned commuter rail corridor intended to be managed by Metra, targeting the Chicago metropolitan area. This line would operate over tracks currently owned by CSX Transportation and the Union Pacific Railroad.
Historical commuter operations
In earlier times, commuter trains ran along this corridor, operated by the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, connecting Dearborn Station with Dolton and Momence. Service provided by the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad concluded in 1935, while the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad discontinued its commuter operations in 1964.
Project proposal
The concept of establishing a rail link from Chicago to the southern suburbs terminating at Balmoral Park dates back to 1986. Following advocacy from Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. in 2003, Metra introduced the SouthEast Service proposal to address the south suburbs’ exclusion from the previously planned STAR Line. The line’s northern endpoint would be at downtown’s LaSalle Street Station. This route aims to connect Chicago’s southern neighborhoods with suburbs extending to Balmoral Park near Crete, Illinois, anticipating an average daily ridership around 9,000 passengers. The service envisions utilizing a fleet of Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs).
Funding authorization was initially secured in 2005. Subsequently, in 2010, Representative Al Riley introduced House Bill 1644, which established the Southeast Commuter Rail Transit District as a municipal corporation endowed with eminent domain authority and empowered to enter into contracts with Metra. This district encompasses Crete, Steger, South Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Thornton, South Holland, Dolton, Calumet City, Lansing, and Lynwood. Governor Pat Quinn enacted this legislation in 2011.
According to the 2018 ONTO 2050 report by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the SouthEast Service is currently undergoing an alternatives analysis phase with a Locally Preferred Alternative under review. In 2019, Metra classified it as a Tier 2 project within its Cost Benefit Analysis framework. As of 2022, progress on the initiative remains paused pending additional evaluations related to operational expenses.
The Center for Neighborhood Technology, a prominent supporter of this line, projects that it could more than double the number of jobs accessible by transit within a sixty-minute commute for residents in the south suburbs. Former Metra Chairman Martin J. Oberman publicly endorsed this initiative in 2016.
Stations proposed
Listed from north to south:
- LaSalle Street Station
- 35th Street
- Gresham
- 115th Street
- Dolton
- South Holland – In 2012, South Holland allocated $1.3 million to purchase property at 236 East 161st Place for station development.
- Thornton
- Glenwood – Potential station sites include an area between Main and Center Streets along Young Street.
- Chicago Heights – As of 2012, efforts were underway to assemble land near downtown for station construction.
- South Chicago Heights – The Comprehensive Plan of 2008 identifies a potential station location near Sauk Trail and Jackson Avenue.
- Steger
- Crete
- Balmoral Park