Metra Board members and state and local officials gathered Tuesday to celebrate the reopening of the Harvey Metra Electric station at 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard, following a two-year project to rebuild and upgrade the facility.
The station, which reopened to passengers Monday, features a new elevator that makes it accessible to people with disabilities, a covered staircase, a kiss & ride lane, bicycle parking, improved pedestrian pathways, a new platform covered by a canopy and warming shelters, said Metra Board Chair Romayne Brown.
Through the $20.8 million project, Metra completed the first major upgrades to the facility in nearly 30 years. The project was financed through a mix of state and federal funds, with the majority coming from the state’s Rebuild Illinois program, enacted in 2019 to invest $44.8 billion in capital improvements and transit upgrades.
“We hope the station will serve as a safe, comfortable, welcoming gateway to our system and to the city of Harvey,” Brown said. “It’s all part of the multiyear, multibillion dollar plan to transform numerous agents on the line with an emphasis on making them accessible to persons with disabilities and making them comfortable and welcome for all our customers.”
Plans for the project began in 2021, after Metra awarded the originally $13 million contract to rebuild the station to Elgin-based IHC Construction Companies, which agreed to subcontract 25% of the work to minority and women-owned firms.
State Rep. Will Davis, a Democrat representing the 30th District, said the construction firm achieved 30% minority involvement in the project, calling it a significant investment that will help restore Harvey “back to its prominence.”
Metra CEO Jim Derwinski said Tuesday the improvements to the Sibley station are part of a larger effort to enhance Metra stations and increase accessibility for people with disabilities. Following the passage of Rebuild Illinois, he said Metra committed to using state funds to make nearly every other Metra Electric station in the Chicago area ADA accessible.
“It’s the right thing to do, and we didn’t have money to do them all, so that was part of the deliberation, to say let’s try to hit every other one,” he said.
Three other Metra Electric stations — 79th Street and Chatham, 103rd Street and Rosemoor and Homewood — are under construction and expected to be completed within the next two years, Derwinski said. Work is also planned for the 87th Street and Woodruff and the 95th Street and Chicago State University stations. Upcoming projects include Van Buren Street and the Harvey Transportation Center, he said.
State Sen. Napoleon Harris, A Democrat representing the 15th District and a Dixmoor native, said the Sibley station was crowded 15 years ago. The recent improvements, he said, demonstrate “people care” and “people are invested” in the Harvey community.
“We are proud to see this investment come to life and commend Metra’s dedication to modernizing infrastructure and supporting the future of Harvey,” Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark said in a news release.
Although the station was closed for the past two years, requiring riders to use nearby lines, Derwinski said the quality of service on the Metra Electric line that runs through Sibley station will draw riders back.
“The service level is the best on this line, and I think that’s a big driver for people who use this station,” he said. “Being a suburban station, it’ll get almost every single train that comes through.”
Metra will host a Metra Harvest Fest for Harvey residents from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Sibley station’s parking lot. The free event will include music, games, activities, food trucks and giveaways.
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