Metra announced last week that it will close the West Hinsdale Station for about two months beginning Aug. 1 to accommodate the replacement of the station’s boarding platforms.
Trains will not stop at the station for the duration of the work. Passengers who normally board at West Hinsdale are asked to use either the downtown Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills stations for the duration of the construction project.
Due to low ridership across the Metra system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the station will be fully shutdown to cut the project timeline from four months to two months, thereby reducing the impact on riders, according to a Metra press release. Normally access would be restricted only to portions of the platforms.
Workers will replace the existing platforms with asphalt and new ADA-compliant tactile strips on the platform edges. The project also will preserve as many of the existing wrought iron fencing panels east of Stough Street as possible and replace the existing fence posts.
Residents near the station should expect to hear train horns sounding more frequently as required under Federal Railroad Administration safety regulations when workers are on or adjacent to the tracks. The commuter parking spaces at the station will be used to stage construction equipment and materials.
