Response to trial runs will determine Metra Café Car’s future By Susan W. Murray news@thewoodstockindependent.com Brothers Al and Blake Johanson and friend David Wilson made an event of their trip on the Union Pacific Northwest line on Nov. 11. The three converged from their homes to ride the rails in the Metra Café Car on […]
Metra officials were in Woodstock this March just as they were in March 2024, with their maps and charts, explaining plans for a new layover yard and maintenance facility off Lamb Road on the city’s far west side. The plan would bring jobs to Woodstock and increase commuter rail service to the city. When Metra […]
By Susan W. Murraynews@the woodstockindependent.com About three dozen people formed the early bird group as the Opera House opened its doors at 5 p.m. last Tuesday for those who wanted to check on progress for Metra’s Woodstock Layover Yard. Among them was Margie Walsh, who was hoping that Metra had chosen the first of two […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Metra will add two weekday departures from Woodstock and one arrival as part of a plan to deal with commuter service during the three-year rehabilitation project underway on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. Train service times for Woodstock have been adjusted, effective April 3, as part of Metra’s plan to add 12 […]
Mayor Mike Turner is in Springfield this week to lobby the Legislature for infrastructure funds that he says would drive economic development in and around Woodstock. Turner and City Manager Roscoe Stelford were scheduled to travel to the state Capitol on Wednesday and return Thursday after meeting with various state officials, including the director of […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Christmas came a day early for a Lake in the Hills man who narrowly escaped serious injury when a train smashed into his car as he stood nearby. The accident happened shortly after 2 a.m. Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, on Lily Pond Road south of McConnell Road. According to a news release, […]
Beginning Monday, Aug. 22, Woodstock’s train station will have the south entrance open to the public to accommodate Metra’s morning schedule. According to a news release from Kevin Newton, COO of depot owner MBI, both the east and westside doors will be unlocked between 5:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Monday through Friday. MBI has a […]
Metra’s service in Woodstock will return to normal this month – even better than before COVID-19. Whereas three weekday trains now leave the local depot for Chicago before 8 a.m., five will head inbound before 8 effective with the new schedule Monday, April 25. That’s one better than the four early inbound trains that Metra […]
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth came to Woodstock last week with encouraging words about the relocation of Metra’s rail yard from downtown Crystal Lake to the west side of Woodstock. City and county officials hope the next time she visits, she comes with financial support for the project that would increase rail traffic to Woodstock as […]
Over the past five years, the Woodstock train station has hopefully welcomed a series of tenants that sadly did not result in “happily ever after.” Coffee and sandwich shop Centerville Station, operated by D.C. Cobb’s owner Dan Hart, closed in early 2016 after a short run with UP’s strict limitations on alcohol sales and denial […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
