Heritage Corridor

---

title: "Heritage Corridor" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["passenger-trains-of-the-alton-railroad", "metra-lines", "1984-establishments-in-illinois", "transportation-in-cook-county,-illinois", "transportation-in-will-county,-illinois"] description: "Metra commuter rail service in the Chicago area" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Corridor" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Metra commuter rail service in the Chicago area ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]

Field	Value
name	Heritage Corridor
image	Metra Heritage Corridor train at Joliet station.jpg
caption	Heritage Corridor inbound train preparing to board passengers at station in Joliet, Illinois
type	Commuter rail
system	Metra
start	Chicago Union Station
end
stations	7
color
daily_ridership	2,400 (Avg. Weekday 2016)
ridership2	252,907 (2023)
owner	Canadian National
operator	Metra, Canadian National
linelength	37.3 mi
tracks	2
gauge
map	{{switcher
{{maplink-road	from
::

| name = Heritage Corridor | image = Metra Heritage Corridor train at Joliet station.jpg | image_width = | caption = Heritage Corridor inbound train preparing to board passengers at station in Joliet, Illinois | type = Commuter rail | system = Metra | status = | locale = | start = Chicago Union Station | end = | stations = 7 | color = | daily_ridership = 2,400 (Avg. Weekday 2016) | ridership2 = 252,907 (2023) | open = | close = | owner = Canadian National | operator = Metra, Canadian National | character = | stock = | linelength = 37.3 mi | tracklength = | tracks = 2 | gauge = | electrification = | speed = | elevation = | map = {{switcher | Heritage Corridor highlighted in maroon |Show interactive map | |Show BSicon diagram map The Heritage Corridor (HC) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its southwestern suburbs, terminating in Joliet, Illinois. While Metra does not refer to its lines by colors, the Heritage Corridor appears on Metra timetables as "Alton Maroon," after the Alton Railroad, which ran trains on this route. The name Heritage Corridor refers to the Illinois and Michigan Canal Heritage Corridor. Established in 1984, it runs parallel to the line.

Unlike other Metra lines, the Heritage Corridor runs during weekday rush hours only in the peak direction–to Chicago in the morning and Joliet in the afternoon, with the trip from Joliet to Union Station taking about 1 hour and 7 minutes. The Rock Island District also serves Joliet with 21 trains.

As of February 15, 2024, Metra operates six trains (three in each direction) on the Heritage Corridor on weekdays, with each train serving all stations on the route. All inbound trains originate from in the morning, and all outbound trains terminate at Joliet in the afternoon. Except for occasional seasonal excursion services, there is no Saturday service. There is currently no off-peak, Sunday, or holiday service on the Heritage Corridor.

The Heritage Corridor has the lowest train frequency and fewest number of stations of any Metra line.

Like the North Central Service and the SouthWest Service, all stations on the route are fully ADA-accessible.

Route

The line runs from Union Station in downtown Chicago through southwestern suburbs to Joliet. In March 2016, the public timetable shows four Chicago to Joliet trains each weekday. An additional train runs inbound during the afternoon rush hour but as an empty equipment move or deadhead.

Amtrak's Texas Eagle and Lincoln Service use these tracks from Union Station to Joliet, as do Canadian National freight trains, with CN being the owner of the tracks on which the corridor runs. The Texas Eagle only stops at Chicago and Joliet, while the Lincoln Service also stops at Summit. The Joliet Transportation Center replaced Joliet Union Station on April 11, 2018.

On May 16, 2017, Metra announced that the new station for Romeoville had officially broken ground near the intersection of 135th St and New Avenue. The cost of the new station is estimated to be around $4.9 million. The station was opened to the public on February 5, 2018.

Metra has included the possibility of extending the Heritage Corridor in their Cost Benefit Analysis report. If this were to happen, the Heritage Corridor would continue south from Joliet to Wilmington, with an additional station in Elwood.

Excursion service

Metra has offered "Rails, Trails, and Ales" excursion service on Saturdays in the fall of 2021; 2023; and 2024, and the summer of 2022. In 2021, two trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 18 to October 16. In 2022, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from July 2 to September 3. In 2023, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 9 to October 14. In 2024, three trains in each direction made all stops between Union Station and Joliet from September 7 to October 12.

Rails, Trails, and Ales service did not return in 2025.

Ridership

Between 2014 and 2019 annual ridership remained steady at roughly 730,000. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ridership dropped to 177,838 passengers in 2020 and to 82,197 passengers in 2021.

| group 1 = 729139:723803:717752:727185:728467:734098:177524:82197:182890:252907:288073 | units suffix = | group names = Annual ridership | x legends = 2014:2015:2016:2017:2018:2019:2020:2021:2022:2023:2024 | colors = #

Stations

::data[format=table]

County	Zone	Location	Station	Connections and notes
Cook	1	Chicago		(long-distance): California Zephyr, , , Empire Builder, , Lake Shore Limited, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle
Amtrak (intercity): , , , , , Lincoln Service, , Wolverine
: , , , ,
Chicago "L": (at ), (at )
CTA buses:
Pace bus: 755
Amtrak Thruway: Chicago–Madison and Chicago–Rockford (Van Galder), Chicago–Louisville (Greyhound)
		Closed 1902, replaced with Halsted Street
	title=Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017	url=https://metrarail.com/sites/default/files/assets/planning/ridership/ridership_report_-_annual_report_2017_standalone.pdf	publisher=Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning	access-date=December 2, 2018
	Closed 1984
Central Stickney		Closed 1989
2	Summit		Amtrak: Lincoln Service
Pace bus: 330
	Willow Springs		Closed
3		Pace bus: 390
	Lemont		Closed
3		Pace bus: 755
Will	4	Romeoville		Pace bus: 755
	Lockport		Closed 1988
4		Pace buses: 755, 834
	Joliet	State Prison	Closed
4		Amtrak: Lincoln Service, Texas Eagle
Metra:
Pace buses: 501, 504, 505, 507, 508, 509, 511, 832, 834
::

References

References

1. "Operations and Ridership Data". Metra.
2. (June 2009). "Did you know?". On the Bi-Level.
3. Baty (2004), 237-238.
4. "Heritage Corridor {{!}} Metra".
5. (20 September 2024). "Metra Offers Special Saturday Service Along Heritage Corridor Line". Patch.
6. (22 August 2023). "Metra's 'Rails, Trails and Ales' program returns on Heritage Corridor". Trains.
7. Fabbre, Alicia. (April 11, 2018). "New train station opens for commuters in Joliet, ending a six-year wait". Chicago Tribune.
8. "Romeoville breaks ground on new Metra station {{!".
9. (August 2024). "Romeoville Metra station opens – Bugle Newspapers".
10. "Systemwide Cost Benefit Analysis of Major Capital Improvements".
11. (21 September 2021). "Metra launches Saturday excursions on Heritage Corridor". Trains.
12. (24 June 2022). "Metra brings back Saturday excursions on Heritage Corridor". Trains.
13. Metra. "Unfortunately, rails, trails and ales is not returning this year. Should anything change, we will provide updates.".
14. "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2018". Metra.
15. "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2019". Metra.
16. "RIDERSHIP TRENDS ANNUAL REPORT 2020".
17. "RIDERSHIP TRENDS 2021".
18. "RTAMS {{!}} Regional Transportation Authority Mapping and Statistics".
19. (August 12, 1902). "Removal of Station". Chicago Tribune.
20. (February 2018). "Ridership Trends - Annual Report 2017". Metra Division of Strategic Capital Planning.

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