Kensington/115th Street station

< Kensington

Kensington
115th Street
Kensington/115th Street station in May 2022.
General information
Location115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue
Pullman, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°41′11″N 87°36′43″W / 41.686462°N 87.612027°W / 41.686462; -87.612027
Owned byMetra
Line(s)University Park Sub District
Platforms1 Island platform (formerly 2)
Tracks3
Connections CTA Bus
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone2
History
Opened1916
Electrified1926 (Overhead line, 1,500 V DC)
Passengers
20181,136 (average weekday) 1.4%
Rank37 out of 236
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station
Riverdale Metra Electric
Main Line
111th Street (Pullman)
State Street Metra Electric
Blue Island Branch
Former services
Preceding station NICTD Following station
63rd Street South Shore Line
pre-2012
Hegewisch
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station
Harvey Main Line 63rd Street
toward Chicago
130th Street (Wildwood)
toward Richton
Electric Suburban
Main Line
111th Street
State Street–Rose Lawn Electric Suburban
Blue Island Branch
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Hammond
toward Detroit
Michigan Central Railroad
Main Line
63rd Street
toward Chicago
Harvey
toward Cincinnati
ChicagoCincinnati
Location

115th Street/Kensington is a commuter rail station on the far south side of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park and Blue Island. The station is located at 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the Pullman & West Pullman neighborhoods. It is the last station for Blue Island Branch trains before those split off of the main line for Blue Island. As of 2018, the station is the 37th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,136 weekday boardings. The South Shore Line diverges to Indiana immediately south of this station. It had previously stopped at this station prior to February 15, 2012, with the reconfiguration of the junction to minimize congestion.

In 1991, an advocacy group formed to press Metra to make necessary cosmetic and safety upgrades to this station, one of the busiest on the Metra Electric line. Dubbed "Operation Restore Kensington," the group pressured railroad officials to work closely with the city to upgrade parking, enhance station lighting, landscaping and security, and persuade local vendors to open concession stands in the station. For its efforts, O.R.K. monitored the railroad's efforts to build a brand new station and assisted with the railroad's efforts to increase station parking facilities. O.R.K. was disbanded in the 1990s.

The station was also served by Illinois Central intercity-trains from Chicago to points south.

A station typology adopted by the Chicago Plan Commission on October 16, 2014, assigns the 115th Street/Kensington station a typology of Local Activity Center. A Local Activity Center typology is primarily characterized by the Metra station being the central focus of a built-up and identifiable neighborhood.