LaGrange VS. Elmhurst?

[Lookout Kid]

The BNSF is faster train service. I'm not sure why. I live on the Union Pacific West, and my morning express train would stop only stop at Elmhurst and then Ogilvie, and for some reason it just always seems to get stalled in that huge switching yard in Berkely or the other one on the West Side of Chicago.

However, Ogilvie is convenient to a lot more offices than Union Station (the UP-W goes in to Ogilvie, and the BNSF goes in to Union Station). If you use the suburban concourse to exit the station at Ogilvie, you are already as far north as Washington or Randolph. It really depends on where your office is downtown. I worked on the north side of the Loop, so I could make up the train difference with a shorter walk.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

The BNSF is faster train service. I'm not sure why. I live on the Union Pacific West, and my morning express train would stop only stop at Elmhurst and then Ogilvie, and for some reason it just always seems to get stalled in that huge switching yard in Berkely or the other one on the West Side of Chicago.

However, Ogilvie is convenient to a lot more offices than Union Station (the UP-W goes in to Ogilvie, and the BNSF goes in to Union Station). If you use the suburban concourse to exit the station at Ogilvie, you are already as far north as Washington or Randolph. It really depends on where your office is downtown. I worked on the north side of the Loop, so I could make up the train difference with a shorter walk.

I agree with everything Lookout Kid said. I think whether La Grange or Elmhurst is more convenient depends on exactly where your office is downtown (assuming it even is downtown) and where you travel to in the region regularly. I go north much more often than south because of where my friends and family are, so Elmhurst is more convenient for me. Ogilvie is also more convenient to my office than Union. If you end up going to the south suburbs more often and your work is closer to Union Station, then La Grange may be the way to go.

When we were looking for our house (we moved in April) I considered La Grange as well as Elmhurst in addition to about 10 other towns. Ultimately, we found the right house in Elmhurst. I really like living there though, if that means anything to you.

[JJski]

Monroe/Wacker - so I think either works fine?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by JJski

Monroe/Wacker - so I think either works fine?

Yeah, that's basically an ideal commuting location for most Metra lines. You are almost exactly between the two largest stations.

[EmergentX]

Google is telling me it's a 40 min ride on the Elmhurst train to downtown. Is that a low estimate? How consistent is it?

Thanks in advance!

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by EmergentX

Google is telling me it's a 40 min ride on the Elmhurst train to downtown. Is that a low estimate? How consistent is it?

Thanks in advance!

The train is pretty consistent, but it depends on whether you take an express train or not. You can get from Elmhurst to Chicago in as little as 27 minutes, or it can take as long as 36 minutes if the train makes every stop. The only reason it would take longer than that is if there's some sort of delay, which luckily, delays of more than a couple minutes are pretty rare.

Union Pacific / West (UP-W) Schedule