North Central Service

North Central Service
A North Central Service train at O'Hare Transfer in 2010.
Overview
Owner	Metra (Union Station to River Grove) CN (River Grove to Antioch)
Termini	Chicago Union Station Antioch
Stations	18
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Metra
Operator(s)	Metra
Daily ridership	5,800 (Avg. Weekday 2016)[1]
Ridership	524,945 (2023)
History
Opened	1886 (Soo Line), August 19, 1996 (Metra)
Technical
Line length	52.9 mi (85.1 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map North Central Service highlighted in purple Show interactive map Legend Canadian National Railway Antioch Coach Yard 52.8 mi 85 km Antioch 48.2 mi 77.6 km Lake Villa 45.9 mi 73.9 km Round Lake Beach 43.9 mi 70.7 km Washington Street MD-N to Fox Lake to Union Station 40.7 mi 65.5 km Prairie Crossing 36.9 mi 59.4 km Mundelein EJ&E Railway 33.0 mi 53.1 km Vernon Hills 31.6 mi 50.9 km Prairie View 29.5 mi 47.5 km Buffalo Grove 27.2 mi 43.8 km Wheeling 24.0 mi 38.6 km Prospect Heights Union Pacific Railroad UP-NW to McHenry or Harvard to Ogilvie I-90 17.1 mi 27.5 km O'Hare Transfer ATS Blue to O'Hare | I-190 15.6 mi 25.1 km Rosemont I-294 14.8 mi 23.8 km Schiller Park 13.0 mi 20.9 km Belmont Avenue MD-W to Big Timber Road Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Canadian National Railway Des Plaines River 11.4 mi 18.3 km River Grove 10.2 mi 16.4 km Nonstop placeholder 10.2 mi 16.4 km Elmwood Park 9.5 mi 15.3 km Mont Clare 9.1 mi 14.6 km Mars 8.6 mi 13.8 km Galewood 7.7 mi 12.4 km Hanson Park 7.0 mi 11.3 km Cragin 6.5 mi 10.5 km Grand/Cicero 5.9 mi 9.5 km Hermosa MD-N to Fox Lake to Milwaukee, St. Paul, Seattle and Portland Bloomingdale Trail Coach Yard 2.9 mi 4.7 km Western Avenue UP-W to Elburn Chicago "L" Logan Square branch I-90 / I-94 Blue to O'Hare UP-NW to Harvard or McHenry UP-N to Kenosha Green Pink Blue to Forest Park Ogilvie 0 mi Union Station BNSF to Aurora HC to Joliet SWS to Manhattan Mileage[2] source All stations are accessible   Key North Central Service Other Metra lines Metra Union Pacific lines Other freight lines CTA lines Airport This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

The North Central Service (NCS) is a Metra commuter rail line running from Union Station in downtown Chicago through northwestern and far northern suburbs to Antioch, Illinois. In December 2022, the public timetable shows seven weekday departures from Chicago. This line does not run at all on weekends or holidays.^[3] While Metra does not explicitly refer to any of its eleven routes by colors, the NCS' timetable accents are lavender, a shade of purple. It is one of two Metra lines (the other being the Union Pacific West Line) that do not have a specific color for a fallen flag railroad that used to operate on the route.

Between Union Station and River Grove, the North Central Service shares tracks with the Milwaukee District West Line, but does not stop at any of the intermediate stations used by the MD-W between Western Avenue and River Grove. About a mile west of River Grove, this route turns north at a junction known as tower B-12. The rest of the route operates on the Canadian National Railway's Waukesha Subdivision. Until 2020, a single daily inbound train, no. 120, made all stops along the North Central Service from Antioch to Washington Street, then switched to the Milwaukee District North Line's tracks at a diamond near Prairie Crossing station, made stops at Libertyville and Lake Forest, and then ran express to Union Station.

The CN assumed ownership of this route on September 7, 2001, when it absorbed the Wisconsin Central Railroad ("WC"). The WC operated on this route after it was purchased from the Soo Line Railroad in April 1987. Metra provides its own crews for this service (like with most routes) and operates under a trackage rights agreement with the CN.

Service began August 19, 1996.^[4] As of 2023^[update], this is the only new commuter line in the Metra system since its formation. Prior to the start of NCS, the last passenger service on this route ended in January 1965, when the Soo Line discontinued the overnight Chicago-Duluth Laker.

The North Central Service serves O'Hare International Airport, but with a limited number of trains. O'Hare has much more frequent service from the CTA Blue Line.

As of February 15, 2024, Metra operates 14 trains (seven in each direction) on the line on weekdays, with all trains running the full length of the route from Antioch to Union Station. One inbound train and one outbound train run express between Western Avenue and Wheeling.

Like the Heritage Corridor and SouthWest Service, the North Central Service is fully ADA-accessible.

No tickets are sold at any North Central Service stations outside Chicago. Passengers must purchase tickets either on the train or with Ventra.