(The following story by Diana Sroka appeared on the Northwest Herald News website on July 5, 2009.)
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — There are about 30, maybe 40. Mostly regulars, but 5:47 a.m. seems early even for them.
A group scurries to the parking machine. Swipe, no charge. Swipe, no charge.
“Is it not working?” one asks.
“It’s not taking my card.”
Bells chime, signaling the morning’s first outbound trip.
“Here, let me try,” the first one says.
• • •
Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest line runs straight through McHenry County, mostly along Route 14. It’s a well-frequented route. About 42,000 commuters travel on that line daily, said Tom Miller, a Metra spokesman.
“It’s number two in terms of ridership,” Miller said. Only the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line beats the Northwest line’s numbers.
The most popular suburban stops along the Union Pacific Northwest line are in Palatine and downtown Crystal Lake. But every weekday a loyal group of about 275 board in Harvard, the last station on the line.
Inbound to Chicago, the earliest train leaves at 5:47 a.m. It stops at eight out of the 21 stations along the way, and arrives at 7:22. At about an hour and a half, it’s the closest to an express train Harvard boarders can catch to work.
• • •
The train never is as empty as it is in Harvard, so it’s the easiest place to people-watch. For kicks, say there are three types of people who board there.
First there are the suits. They probably super-starch their pants to keep them from wrinkling on the long ride. On holiday weekends they wear themed ties. They carry leather man-bags.
Next, there are the coolers. They wear jeans and work boots. Usually, no Starbucks for them. They bring their coffee in tall, Stanley thermoses.
Then there are the obvious leisure travelers, mostly women. You can tell because they carry big quilted bags containing everything they could possibly need in the city. They drink Red Bull because oh-my-gosh-it’s-so-early.
And then there’s Keith Seelye. He’s 61. He’s been taking the train from Harvard since 1989.
The commute doesn’t seem long to him.
“It’s really a luxury,” said Seelye, a Harvard resident.
It beats a 70-miles each way trip in the car, he says. Plus, it gives him time to sip on coffee and read the morning papers, iPod in tow.
“I look forward to it,” he said.
Out the window it’s all green as the train passes through Woodstock, toward Crystal Lake. Seelye says after the train makes its way through the near suburbs “it pretty much turns into concrete the rest of the way.”
He gets off at the last stop, downtown Chicago. Then it’s just a few blocks on foot to work.
• • •
Metra officials are optimistic that when the economy improves the far stretches of Chicagoland will boom. They’re anticipating rampant residential growth, which possibly means a stronger commuter population.
In McHenry County, officials anticipate the need for three more stations along the Union Pacific Northwest line – in Ridgefield, Johnsburg and Prairie Grove.
“Population forecasts and economic forecasts point to a greater population in that corridor,” said Mike Gillis, a Metra spokesman.
Metra is in the pre-engineering stages of a $507 million expansion project, of which the three additional McHenry County stations are only a small piece.
In the southern area of the county, Huntley also is considering adding a Metra stop. If built, the Milwaukee District West line that travels through Elgin likely would extend to both Huntley and Marengo.
Beyond McHenry County, Metra’s plan includes a suburb-to-suburb train line between Joliet and O’Hare Airport and improvements to the Union Pacific West line that travels through Cook, DuPage and Kane counties, among other improvements.
Additional stations could be added to the Union Pacific Northwest line as early as 2014.
• • •
If the Harvard station in the morning is analogous with McHenry County’s lush farm fields, the Chicago station after work is downtown’s most congested intersection during rush hour. Move too slow and the revolving doors will turn faster than the people inside.
Seelye moseys over to the terminal like the pro commuter he is. He takes this same walk every day.
Track six. Pass the second set of stairs. Board on the right and walk into the third car from the front.
Within minutes, he’s surrounded by the usual group.
There’s Therese Peskowits and Kerry Wallner, who get off in Palatine. Teresa Warta gets off at Arlington Park. Jolene Manning gets off in Crystal Lake. Rik “Dutch” Master gets off in Woodstock.
And then there’s Seelye – they call him “Doc.” Today, Seelye brought the beer. It becomes instantly obvious the ride home is nothing like the ride in.
“They used to have a ‘club car’ with people playing [cards],” Dutch said.
“This was a long time ago when people were allowed to smoke on the train,” Seelye chimed in. “So we all just kept coming back to this car.”
They debate whether they should call it a bar car or a club car. They settle on club car.
“For everybody’s birthday they can expect a celebration on the 5:16,” Peskowits said.
(Dutch clarifies: These are the types of celebrations that require a ride home.)
They agree that the 5:16 p.m. train to Harvard is one of the best to ride. It’s an express train, so there are only five stops, not a “milk run” like the trains that drop off at every other station. And the camaraderie is great.
From commuting together, they’ve become personal friends. They e-mail and call each other, go to baseball games together. On occasion they watch Seelye perform with his band.
That’s what train commuters do, they said.
“There’s always groups that congregate,” Seelye said.
Warta gets off. A short while Wallner and Peskowits are off, too.
“We’re down to the trio now,” Seelye said.
They reminisce about how the ride has changed over the years. Master, who is 56, has been taking the train since college. He’s an architect by trade, so urban sprawl bothers him.
Manning, who is pregnant, wobbles off, and Seelye and Master go from talk of train seat belts and the best sub shops to their favorite small talk conversations.
“It doesn’t matter what you do. The train is the great equalizer,” Master said. “You can have an opinion and someone will listen to you.”
The train reaches Woodstock. Master gets off.
And Seelye rides on to the end of the line.