The Davis Street Metra station in downtown Evanston is scheduled to get some improvements — but it will be at least a year before riders see any of them.
Commuter rail agency spokesperson Michael Gillis said Metra is looking to rehab the station depot on the inbound side, improve platforms, shore up the embankment and make the station more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The station is also slated to get new signage and real-time train arrival displays that Metra has been gradually adding to all its stations over the past few years. The displays show real-time arrival information as well as system announcements and emergency alerts.
Gillis told the RoundTable that the project is currently in the final design phase, which is expected to be completed “in about a year.” Metra won’t have the final construction costs or the timeline for when construction will start and be completed until that phase is done.
Largest transit hub
Davis Street station dates back to 1910. It is one of the three Metra stations within Evanston city limits. Located downtown, near the Purple Line L station and CTA/Pace bus terminal, it’s part of Evanston’s largest transit hub.
The station has experienced some wear and tear. While the station has ramps up to the platforms, the pitch may need to be adjusted to better accommodate riders with mobility aids such as walkers and crutches. Metra’s 2024 budget included $2 million to study the particulars of the station rehab, but the agency says that construction funding would still need to be secured. The 2025 budget made no reference to station improvements — but it isn’t unusual for items that weren’t completed the previous year to be carried over into the following year.
The RTA capital project budget sets aside $17,025,000 for the project.
Gillis said that much of the work will involve the historic station house, “including new windows and doors, LED lights, new seating and a rehab of the bathroom.” The 2024 budget mentions that any work must respect the station’s historic character.
The project also includes rehabbing the embankment the station rests on, as well as the concrete tunnel next to the station house, the stairs and the station canopies. The station will also get new wayfinding signage and new bike racks.
“A key component of the project is to resolve ADA code exceptions,” Gillis said. “Staircases, handrails, and guardrails at each station entrance will be repaired as needed.”
The work would include clearing and repainting the Church Street bridge directly north of the station’s northern exits.
Gillis confirmed that the project “will likely impact” the murals under the Davis Street bridge and on the embankment walls.
When the architecture firm Living Habitats developed the plan for sprucing up the area around the 909 Davis St. building in conjunction with the relocation of city offices there, it mostly avoided the Davis Street station because it didn’t want to create conflicts with Metra’s plans. But it did call for murals at the station building’s ground level, as well as adding new sitting steps and removing decades of paint in the pedestrian tunnel.
Metra plans Davis St. Metra station fixes, accessibility improvements is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.