Metra landscapes new station with native plants

Metra, Illinois and Chicao officials yesterday dedicated the Peterson/Ridge Station on the UP North Line in Edgewater, Illinois. The $27.8 million station opened on May 20.

The facility features two six-car platforms; heated concrete stairs and ADA-compliant ramps; a glass and masonry warming house with side canopies and metal roof; two shelters with on-demand heating; an access drive with a cul-de-sac turnaround and ADA pick-up/drop-off; bicycle parking; and a plaza with associated landscaping and an irrigation system.

To landscape the station, Metra partnered with local conservation groups and environmental experts to plant exclusively native perennial plants.

By choosing indigenous flora, the Chicago commuter railroad is fostering more ecologically valuable and climate-resilient landscapes that contribute to the overall well-being of the community, for pollinators and people alike, Metra officials said in a news release.

The parties involved in the landscaping included the Edgewater Environmental Coalition, members of the 40th Ward Chapter of Openlands TreeKeepers, local environmental activists and the Horst and Ann Wagener WEAR Garden, which has a Union Pacific Railroad beautification lease adjacent to the new Metra station.