Found this article via another site today. Could be an interesting expansion for Metra and Illinois if anything were to come of it.
https://www.shawlocal.com/daily-chr...ts-of-metra-commuter-train-feasibility-study/
It might come down to whom DeKalb believes benefits the most from extending the UP-West into town. If they believe it benefits mainly NIU students commuting from the Chicago area, DeKalb may be able to set up a purchase of service agreement with Metra (instead of joining the taxing body that funds Metra), and then offset a fair portion of the costs by having NIU increase student activity fees.
The campus serves 15,000 students; adding $20.00 onto students' fees would yield up to $300,000. I have no doubt many students might squawk, but it should be considered an amenity, same as the Student Center or a fitness center - they need to pay for those whether they access them or not.
If they were to use the former CNW station (currently being used as offices by UP), it is already well served by four bus routes, which provide quick access to nearly all parts of the NIU campus, the downtown area, as well as the newer commercial strip to the northeast, which borders Sycamore. The former station also has a fairly generous number of parking spaces, making it easy for townies to take the train into Chicago if they so choose.
One of those routes, the #12 bus, currently runs between the campus and Elburn, the current terminus of UP-West. Eliminating much of that route, if Metra finally makes it to DeKalb, would permit greater frequencies for #12 or possibly make a couple of buses available for a new route.
The old CNW station is about a 1 mile walk to the "Central Quad", which is located on the eastern edge of NIU. If one wished to take Metra out to NIU to catch a Huskies game in the fall, the walk is about 2 miles.
I've wondered whether NIU would consider requesting a second stop in town, much closer to the stadium, in hopes of drawing Chicago-based alumni back onto campus (and hopefully open their wallets). It could be done relatively cheaply, I'd imagine - an asphalt platform, with large tents that can be erected to provide a covered waiting area and ticket sales on game day.
The biggest barrier would be Lincoln Highway, which lies between the tracks and the stadium. Through the old downtown area, Lincoln Hwy. is a very manageable, pedestrian-friendly road. Further west, by the stadium, it becomes very "stroad-y", with two wide lanes in each direction and a center turn lane. If town police and campus security worked together, they could probably tame the traffic and safely manage pedestrians.
The town could certainly take advantage of Metra service as well. In August, DeKalb has CornFest, a three day fair that could draw plenty of folks from the city. The fairgrounds are two short blocks from the CNW station. If it proved successful, they could try three or four throughout the year. They'd likely make a pile of cash.
Foster growth in the old downtown area, with a unique business mix that would attract visitors, like NIU parents spending a weekend with their kids or bored suburbanites looking for a pleasant small town experience, and watch the money roll in.
I wish DeKalb well. UP will likely want a big pile of cash of their own to extend the route, as well as the infrastructure work they'll demand before a single Metra train stops there.
