Arlington Park (Metra)
Encyclopedia
Arlington Park is one of two Metra commuter railroad stations along Metra
's Union Pacific/Northwest line in the Village of Arlington Heights, Illinois
. The station is located at 2121 West Northwest Highway (US 14) and Wilke Road, within Arlington Park Race Course
, and lies 24.2 miles (38.9 km) from the Ogilvie Transportation Center
in Chicago
. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Arlington Park is in zone E.
Like the Long Island Rail Road
's Belmont Park
station and the Aqueduct Racetrack
station on the IND Rockaway Line
of the New York City Subway
, in Queens and Nassau County, New York
, Arlington Park Station was designed originally to serve just the Arlington Park Race Track. Now it conveniently serves postal employees at the Processing and Distribution Center
in Palatine
as well as residents of southeast Palatine and west Arlington Heights, although a fence blocks most of the access to the station from the Palatine side. Unlike the LIRR and NYC Subway stations mentioned above, Arlington Park shares service with the rest of the UP-NW line, rather than a spur or sidetrack. No bus connections are available, although a Pace
route, 723 previously served rush hour commuters to and from the east side of Palatine and the Rolling Meadows
courthouse
.
Parking is available within a section of the track complex's property dedicated for Metra commuter parking. As of June 2010, the price was $1.50 per day. The commuter parking lot is operated by Imperial Parking Corporation , also known as Impark. Impark has sometimes drawn criticism over business practices related to parking payment; at this lot in particular, commuters are required to pay a surcharge to use pay-by-phone when the lot's payment machines are out of order. In October and November 2008, there were a rash of car break-ins at the lot during daylight hours while commuters were parked.
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's Union Pacific/Northwest line in the Village of Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
. The station is located at 2121 West Northwest Highway (US 14) and Wilke Road, within Arlington Park Race Course
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
, and lies 24.2 miles (38.9 km) from the Ogilvie Transportation Center
Ogilvie Transportation Center
The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center is a passenger terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, serving the three commuter rail lines of Metra's Union Pacific District, which approach the terminal elevated above street level. It occupies the lower floors of the Citigroup Center...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Arlington Park is in zone E.
Like the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
's Belmont Park
Belmont Park (LIRR station)
Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road station on the grounds of the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, New York. The station is open and train service is operated only during the racing seasons of Belmont Park. The station is a terminus of a spur line that lies south of and between...
station and the Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack (IND Rockaway Line)
Aqueduct Racetrack is a station on the IND Rockaway Line of the New York City Subway. Located on the west side of Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, it is served by northbound A trains but is open only on racing days from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m....
station on the IND Rockaway Line
IND Rockaway Line
The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.-History:...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, in Queens and Nassau County, New York
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, Arlington Park Station was designed originally to serve just the Arlington Park Race Track. Now it conveniently serves postal employees at the Processing and Distribution Center
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
in Palatine
Palatine, Illinois
Palatine is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 65,479, making it the sixth-largest community in Cook County and the 16th-largest in the state of Illinois at that time...
as well as residents of southeast Palatine and west Arlington Heights, although a fence blocks most of the access to the station from the Palatine side. Unlike the LIRR and NYC Subway stations mentioned above, Arlington Park shares service with the rest of the UP-NW line, rather than a spur or sidetrack. No bus connections are available, although a Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
route, 723 previously served rush hour commuters to and from the east side of Palatine and the Rolling Meadows
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 24,607 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rolling Meadows is located at ....
courthouse
Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County
The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 22 circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the world. It was created by a 1964 amendment to the Illinois Constitution which reorganized the courts of Illinois...
.
Parking is available within a section of the track complex's property dedicated for Metra commuter parking. As of June 2010, the price was $1.50 per day. The commuter parking lot is operated by Imperial Parking Corporation , also known as Impark. Impark has sometimes drawn criticism over business practices related to parking payment; at this lot in particular, commuters are required to pay a surcharge to use pay-by-phone when the lot's payment machines are out of order. In October and November 2008, there were a rash of car break-ins at the lot during daylight hours while commuters were parked.