Milwaukee District West Line

Milwaukee District West Line
A Milwaukee District West train at Roselle in 2009.
Overview
OwnerMetra (Dispatched by Canadian Pacific Kansas City)
Termini
Stations22
Websitemetra.com/train-lines/md-w
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetra
Operator(s)Metra, CPKC Railway
Daily ridership22,100 (average weekday; 2009)
Ridership2,791,000 (2025)
Technical
Line length39.8 mi (64.1 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
Milwaukee District West Line highlighted in orange
39.8 mi
64.1 km
Big Timber Road/​Elgin
AE&FRE
Elgin–Carpentersville line
36.6 mi
58.9 km
Elgin
AE&FRE
Aurora–Elgin line
Elgin coach yard
36.0 mi
57.9 km
National Street/​Elgin
Spaulding
30.1 mi
48.4 km
Bartlett
Cook County
tracks straddle county line
28.4 mi
45.7 km
Hanover Park
DuPage River (West Branch)
26.5 mi
42.6 km
Schaumburg
tracks straddle county line
DuPage County
23.9 mi
38.5 km
Roselle
23 mi
37 km
Medinah
21.1 mi
34 km
Itasca
19.1 mi
30.7 km
Wood Dale
17.2 mi
27.7 km
Bensenville
I-490 (under construction)
14.0 mi
22.5 km
Mannheim
13.2 mi
21.2 km
Franklin Park
11.4 mi
18.3 km
River Grove
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
Western Ave. coach yard
2.9 mi
4.7 km
Western Avenue
Ogilvie TC
0
Chicago Union Station
Key
Milwaukee District West Line
Other Metra lines
Metra Union Pacific lines
Other freight lines
CTA lines
Former CTA lines/interurbans
Mileage source

All stations are accessible except Mannheim.

The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line are dark "Arrow Yellow," honoring the Milwaukee Road's Arrow passenger train. Trains are dispatched from the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway's American headquarters in Minneapolis.

The line runs from Chicago Union Station through the western suburbs to Elgin, Illinois. As of February 15, 2024, the public timetable shows 52 trains (26 in each direction) operating on weekdays. Of these, 19 inbound trains originate from Big Timber Road, three from Elgin, one from National Street, and three from Franklin Park. Three outbound trains terminate at Franklin Park, one at National Street, and the remainder terminate at Big Timber Road.

On weekends, Metra operates 12 roundtrips on Saturdays and nine on Sundays and holidays, all running between Union Station and Elgin. There is no weekend or holiday service to Big Timber Road.

The line runs on the CPKC Railway's Elgin Subdivision (ex-Milwaukee Road line to Omaha).