Railfans Guide
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Passenger operations are detailed in our Passenger Guide to Joliet Union Station. Metra maintains a coach yard to the east of the Rock Island District platform, and although inaccessible to the public, it can be seen from public streets. Metra uses the former interchange track between the Rock Island and GM&O as a connection to bring Heritage Corridor trains in and out of the coach yard.
The former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (now Canadian National) East Joliet Yard and the crossing of the "J" and the former-Rock Island, along with the remains of the Rock Island's single-stall diesel house are about 1.5 miles east of Joliet Union Station, but with the exception of the U.S. Route 6 overpass of the the south end of the yard, they are generally inaccessible to the public.
The area's newest railroad, the Elwood, Joliet & Southern lies to north of downtown near the intersection Illinois Routes 53 and 7 where Joliet borders against the neighboring town of Crest Hill. A Watco subsidiary, it consists of an former EJ&E industrial branch known as the "Phoenix Line" and a former railcar rebuilder whose property is being redeveloped as a transloading and car storage facility.
Several miles south of downtown Joliet, BNSF and UP maintain two separate and massive intermodal yards. Union Pacific's Global IV is located just to the west of Illinois Route 53 and the Chicagoland Speedway race track, while BNSF Logistics Park Chicago is next to the small town of Elwood. Both are part of the redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal land, which also includes the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
The former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (now Canadian National) East Joliet Yard and the crossing of the "J" and the former-Rock Island, along with the remains of the Rock Island's single-stall diesel house are about 1.5 miles east of Joliet Union Station, but with the exception of the U.S. Route 6 overpass of the the south end of the yard, they are generally inaccessible to the public.
The area's newest railroad, the Elwood, Joliet & Southern lies to north of downtown near the intersection Illinois Routes 53 and 7 where Joliet borders against the neighboring town of Crest Hill. A Watco subsidiary, it consists of an former EJ&E industrial branch known as the "Phoenix Line" and a former railcar rebuilder whose property is being redeveloped as a transloading and car storage facility.
Several miles south of downtown Joliet, BNSF and UP maintain two separate and massive intermodal yards. Union Pacific's Global IV is located just to the west of Illinois Route 53 and the Chicagoland Speedway race track, while BNSF Logistics Park Chicago is next to the small town of Elwood. Both are part of the redevelopment of the former Joliet Arsenal land, which also includes the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
Joliet Gateway Center
Looking south over the BNSF and UP mainlines, showing the realignment of tracks 2 and 3, the new Gateway Center and platform, and its relationship to the 1912 building on the right, while a Chicago-bound "Texas Eagle" gets a helping hand from the UP after the Amtrak engine hit a tree earlier in its journey in this drone photo taken 1/13/2020 by Jacob Diorio.
The original 1912 Union Station no longer serves passengers, but a metal fence has been built around the original station platform, short enough for most photography and the platform was supposed to be open to the public and accessible by the stairs on the west side of the station. The former waiting room is now a banquet facility and a brew pub moved into the ground floor in 2017. The renovations for the microbrewery have significantly altered several features of the historic station building, including the original express and baggage areas as well as the courtyard entrance and driveway.
The waiting room building for the Joliet Gateway Center has a Metra and Amtrak ticket office, as well as a coffee shop and access to both platforms and UD Tower. The City of Joliet provides security.
The original interlocking tower (named UD for Union Depot,) which was formerly staffed by Metra (and previous to that the Rock Island) has been closed, and the signaling and control functions have been automated and transferred to Union Pacific in Omaha and BNSF in Fort Worth. (The control point is still named "UD Tower.") The tower building was kept in place, and the contents of the tower are being preserved, with the city working with Blackhawk on turning the tower into a museum and viewing platform.
As of September 2021, the north staircase (ATSF/GM&O side - shown in the photo above) to the old station platform has been opened and the public should be able to access the platform. The west staircase (RI side) to the old platform is open, even though there is a construction project sealing off some of that corner of the property.
The waiting room building for the Joliet Gateway Center has a Metra and Amtrak ticket office, as well as a coffee shop and access to both platforms and UD Tower. The City of Joliet provides security.
The original interlocking tower (named UD for Union Depot,) which was formerly staffed by Metra (and previous to that the Rock Island) has been closed, and the signaling and control functions have been automated and transferred to Union Pacific in Omaha and BNSF in Fort Worth. (The control point is still named "UD Tower.") The tower building was kept in place, and the contents of the tower are being preserved, with the city working with Blackhawk on turning the tower into a museum and viewing platform.
As of September 2021, the north staircase (ATSF/GM&O side - shown in the photo above) to the old station platform has been opened and the public should be able to access the platform. The west staircase (RI side) to the old platform is open, even though there is a construction project sealing off some of that corner of the property.