SouthWest Service
| Company type | Commuter rail service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Owner | Metra |
| Website | metra |
The SouthWest Service (SWS) operates as a Metra commuter rail route extending southwest from Union Station located in downtown Chicago, Illinois, reaching as far as Manhattan, Illinois. Although Metra does not officially designate colors for its lines, the SouthWest Service schedule highlights "Banner Blue," a name inspired by the Wabash Railroad's historic Banner Blue passenger train. Ownership of the tracks north of the junction at Loomis Boulevard belongs to Metra, while the segment south of this point is leased from Norfolk Southern Railway, which maintains trackage rights over Metra’s portion.
History
The segment of the line situated south of the curve near 75th Street was originally constructed by the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway, which extended its reach to Chicago in 1880. This curve linked to the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad, partially controlled by Wabash, granting access to Dearborn Station. Commuter operations commenced by 1893, initially serving routes as far south as Orland Park, and by 1909 had extended service to Manhattan. During the 1930s, service levels diminished to a single daily train traveling between Chicago and Decatur, later shortened to Orland Park by 1964.
Following multiple corporate restructurings, the Wabash Railroad was leased to the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1964. The lone round-trip service persisted under the name Orland Park Cannonball. When Amtrak assumed control of most intercity passenger routes in 1971, this train remained the sole operation utilizing Dearborn Station until its closure in 1976; thereafter, services were redirected to Union Station via a newly established connection at Alton Junction.
Starting in 1978, the Regional Transportation Authority began providing subsidies for this service. After the 1982 merger of N&W with Southern Railway forming the Norfolk Southern Railway, the line was referred to as the Norfolk Southern Line (NS). As part of cost reduction efforts in 1984, multiple stations including Western Avenue were shut down. On June 1, 1993, Metra took over operations and rebranded the route as SouthWest Service.
A significant expansion completed in January 2006 added several miles of track and introduced at least two new stations (with Laraway Road being an exception), effectively doubling the number of daily trains from 16 to 30. This enhancement made Pace Route 835 bus service unnecessary, resulting in its discontinuation in August 2007. Saturday train service was launched on March 21, 2009, featuring six round trips between Union Station and Manhattan.
Future
As part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), SouthWest Service trains are scheduled to transition from Union Station to LaSalle Street Station following reconfiguration of the 75th Street Corridor. This shift is anticipated no earlier than 2025 upon project completion. Additional mainline track will be constructed between LaSalle Street Station and 74th Street to support increased rail traffic, along with an expansion of LaSalle Street station itself. These improvements are designed to reduce congestion at Union Station, enhance reliability for SouthWest Service trains, and allow for more frequent train schedules.
Service frequency
As of February 15, 2024, the SouthWest Service Line operated by Metra runs 30 trains on weekdays, split evenly with 15 in each direction. Among these, five trains travel to and from , while 10 serve . Additionally, three trains that continue past 179th Street make flag stops at and Manhattan, allowing passengers to disembark upon request.
Since March 2020, Saturday services have been discontinued, and there is no operation on Sundays or public holidays. The combined daily boardings at Laraway Road and Manhattan stations total fewer than 60 riders, placing them among the least frequented stops within the Metra system.
Ridership
Between 2014 and 2019, annual ridership decreased from 2,659,040 to 2,356,767 passengers, reflecting an 11.4% reduction. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant plunge in ridership to 574,815 in 2020. Although figures have since varied, they have yet to recover to levels seen before the pandemic.
Stations
rowspan=4 |Will rowspan=3 |New Lenox| County | Zone | Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 1 | Chicago | Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Metra stations" does not exist. | Template:Rint Amtrak (long-distance): California Zephyr, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Empire Builder, Template:Lnl, Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle Template:Rint Amtrak (intercity): Template:Lnl, Borealis, Hiawatha, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Lincoln Service, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint Metra: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint Chicago "L": Template:Rcb (at Template:Cta), Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb (at Template:Cta) Template:Rint CTA Bus: 1, 7, J14, 19, 28, 56, 60, 120–128, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192 Template:Rint Pace: 755 Template:Rint Amtrak Thruway: Chicago–Madison and Chicago–Rockford (Van Galder), Chicago–Louisville (Greyhound) |
| "Dearborn Station" | (Closed in 1976; services transferred to Union Station) | |||
| "47th Street station (Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad)" | (Shut down on July 29, 1979) | |||
| "Englewood" (Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad) Template:BSflag | (Closed July 29, 1979) | |||
| "Halsted" | (Closed July 29, 1979) | |||
| "Racine" | (Closed July 29, 1979) | |||
| "Ashland" | (Closed July 29, 1979) | |||
| "Western Avenue" | (Ceased operations in May 1984) | |||
| 2 | "Wrightwood" (Metra) | (Previously known as Landers) CTA Bus routes: 52A, 79 | ||
| "Ashburn" (Metra) | ||||
| 3 | "Oak Lawn" (Metra) | (Pace Bus services: 381, 395, 769) | ||
| "Chicago Ridge" (Metra) | (Pace Bus: 384) | |||
| "Worth" (Metra) | (Pace Bus routes: 385, 386) | |||
| "Palos Heights" (Metra) | (Pace Bus route: 769) | |||
| 4 | "Palos Park" (Metra) | |||
| "Orland Park" area stations: | ||||
| "Southmore" Template:BSflag | (Station closed between 1976 and 1984) | |||
| "Orland Park 143rd Street" (Metra) | (Pace Bus route: 379) | |||
| "Orland Park 153rd Street" (Metra) | ||||
| "Orland Park 179th Street" (Metra) | ||||
| "Steele" | (Discontinued in 1962) | |||
| "Brisbane" | (Discontinued in 1962) | |||
| "Laraway Road" (Metra) | ||||
| "Manhattan" (Metra) |