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Old 02-10-2010, 09:03 PM
 
Location: Chciago
720 posts, read 2,996,979 times
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I'd say if your there by 7:30 you'll most likely get a spot. I think they have an overlfow lot now by Red Lobster where you can park and take a shuttle.

Naperville is even worse, 8 year wait for a parking spot. If your not there by 6:30 you won't get one and there's no where else to park without getting a ticket.
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Old 02-13-2010, 06:18 PM
 
1 posts, read 7,135 times
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Default Current Route 59 Set Up

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank the Tank View Post
Also, I haven't taken the PACE bus. For Route 59, the PACE bus service is generally from remote parking lots, so not many people are able to walk to a bus stop. Since I would have to get in my car anyway to get to a remote parking lot, I prefer to just drive the entire way to the train station. PACE is more frequently used for those traveling out of the downtown Naperville station because (1) those particular bus routes actually do go through neighborhoods as opposed to just remote parking lots, meaning that patrons are able to walk to the bus stop and (2) as busy as Route 59 might be, the parking lot situation is exponentially worse in downtown Naperville, so there's more incentive for people out of that station to use alternative modes of transportation.

I am moving to Naperville soon. Some people tell me the daily parking isn't full until 9am others tell me 630 is the cut off. What is the current status of the daily parking lots at the station?
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Old 03-30-2010, 01:09 PM
 
2 posts, read 9,298 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mlundquist View Post
I am moving to Naperville soon. Some people tell me the daily parking isn't full until 9am others tell me 630 is the cut off. What is the current status of the daily parking lots at the station?
I park on the North side (Naperville side) and get there around 7ish and there are still a LOT of spots left. I honestly haven't gotten there any later than that in the ~1yr I've been commuting from Naperville, but I can't imagine it filling up within at least the next 2-3 express trains inbound.

One advantage of high unemployment, I suppose.
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Old 02-12-2015, 01:06 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,592 times
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Default Metra BNSF Route 59 Advice

My Experiences – Just moved to Naperville. Route 59 Station.

Hello all. I know this post was created a while ago, but I just now stumbled across it by utilizing a Google search for ‘Naperville Route 59 Station’ and I’d like to insert some input for others who may happen to do the same. I’m relatively new to Chicago/Naperville, so my perspective could be valuable to those new as well.

Route 59 station is serviced by the BNSF Metra line. It is deemed the most reliable and quickest train with respect to express service. BNSF utilizes 4 tracks as opposed to 2 with other Metra lines.

Parking:
The Route 59 parking lot is divided into two sections. The North Lot (monitored by Naperville City Parking) and the South Lot (monitored by Aurora City Parking). I park in the South Lot monitored by City of Aurora and arrive at 6:30 to catch the 6:37 express with only one additional stop in Naperville prior to a 7:18 arrival at Union Station.
The only entrance for the South Lot off Route 59 into the station is from the North (heading South on Route 59) onto Meridian Lake Dr. There is not an open median to turn onto Meridian Lake Dr. if heading Northbound (traveling from the South). There is however the ability to go under the Route 59 Metra bridge and then do a U-Turn at North Aurora Rd. to then travel back South and then right hand turn onto Meridian Lake Dr. Since I’m traveling North on Route 59 (from the South) I will simply turn left at either Liberty or Meridian Parkway and then an immediate right to take the drive behind Boston Market, Sweet Tomatoes, Jared Jewelry, and Red Lobster….then left onto Meridian Lake Dr. towards the South Lot entrance.
At 6:30, the South Lot has plenty of room, but as one poster notated, there is a constant stream of cars into the lot at this time. I enter the South Lot and immediately turn into one of the numbered daily parking spaces ($2 for a 24 hour period). I will either pay via cash/CC kiosk that are littered near the platform….or if running late and must dash to train…I’ll pay via ParkMobile parking app over phone while on train (there is no Wi-Fi on trains, so make sure you have roaming data on phone available. The App is extremely useful…but charges a $0.55 surcharge as a ‘convenience’.
To date…I have received one parking ticket simply because I forgot to pay once on train. The ticket was written at 10:16 AM and at the cost of $25 ($40 if paid after 15 days). Of course the ticket was written by City of Aurora.

Boarding Train:
People will begin to huddle in clusters 5-2 minutes prior to a train’s arrival. These clusters are good indicators as to where the train doors will be positioned once train comes to a stop. When heading downtown, and at the Route 59 station, the last car will be positioned at or near the main/center lobby where the ticket booth is also located. The train is long with approximately 11-12 cars, so feel free to make your way further down the platform Eastward(towards direction of downtown). At 6:30, even if it looks like A LOT of people waiting and clustered, trust me….everyone will get on…and usually have some empty seats. Just be mindful that if an express train, there will be one additional stop at Naperville to pick up more people and some empty seats will become occupied. When I get on the train, I like to immediately go to the upper level. The upper level offers single seats!...but not many. I also enjoy the upper isle facing jumper seats just for breaking up the monotony of facing forward and can sometimes get away with propping feet up on center rail for additional comfort. Now… the seatbacks are adjustable so that you can face the direction the train is moving. I have had an instance where I sat in a seat with seatback facing me in a backwards position. A lady had asked If I would get up and flip the seatback so that we can face in the direction of travel. It was a long day, and there were train delays due to switch issues so I was in no mood. I just simply said NO . She complained so I said she could take a cab if it really bothered her. She said nothing and sat down. I really couldn’t have given a F***.

Union Station Arrival:
After 40 minutes of smooth, then jerky, then smooth travels you will arrive at Union station on one of the even numbered platforms. It won’t be a guarantee as to which even track….but we have usually been arriving on track 10 or 12. The even numbered tracks are on the South side of the train track lobby. Keep in mind this lobby is not the grandiose massive hall you see in pictures and on movies. That grandiose main lobby will be to your left as you exit the Southern even numbered tracks. When you get off the train on the even numbered tracks, you are actually positioned directly below 222 South Riverside Plaza (Fifth Third) building. When exiting the train car, there will be thousands of people doing the same if during rush hour. Just take your time and be patient while making your way to the train lobby. As with cattle being herded to slaughter, the flow of people will slow and bunch up at the doors leading from the platform into lobby. Once in the Southern even track train lobby you need to find an up escalator to get to the station mezzanine level. There you will find a plethora of eateries and shops. From this mezzanine level you will need to go up one more flight to be at street level. While on the mezzanine level you need to decide where you want to exit and onto which street. Most people will be exiting towards Adams Street or Jefferson Street in order to cross a draw bridge to get to the Loop main central business district. I normally exit following the Jefferson Signage and out onto the river walk when I will actually be taking the Adams Street bridge to cross into the Loop. I use this exit because what seems like a million people will herd down a narrow hall to exit at Adams Street plus I enjoy exiting the station in a less crowded fashion near Jefferson St, take a left towards Adams Street, and casually walk along the scenic river for a few steps before I meet back up with the cattle at Adams bridge to continue onto my place of work which is a few blocks over on Monroe.

Hopes this helps anyone who stumbles across this blog and is in need of Route 59 Station/BNSF Metra acclamation.

-JDub
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Old 02-12-2015, 02:04 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,921,999 times
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I like the line "As with cattle being herded to slaughter, the flow of people will slow and bunch up at the doors leading from the platform into lobby" -- every once in a while I would start softly mooing on my slog up the platform...

I believe JDub has confused "Jefferson" for "Jackson Blvd". That is probably the most common exit for folks from south platform / even number tracks.


There are technically just three sets of mainline railroad track on the BNSF which is also the configuration of the UP-W and mainstem of eh UP-N lines. The UP-NW has four sets of parallel tracks for most of its length but with center platforms there is not real advantage as the safety regs do not allow passing trains to bypass those loading on the center.

Other than those minor quibbles, a nice addition for those not sure how the parking is laid out at the BNSF stop for Naperville / Aurora Rt 59
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Old 02-12-2015, 02:52 PM
 
11,973 posts, read 31,624,552 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JDub Chi-town View Post
BNSF utilizes 4 tracks as opposed to 2 with other Metra lines.
Good post overall. But the note that the BNSF only runs on three tracks, and that it is not the only Metra line to do so (for instance, the Union Pacific-West line also runs on three tracks since the 2009-2010 track upgrades).

*edit* Looks like I should have read Chet's post before posting.
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Old 02-12-2015, 03:36 PM
 
179 posts, read 494,097 times
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UP-W has only been three tracks since 2009-2010? Didn't know that.
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Old 03-01-2015, 03:05 PM
 
44 posts, read 65,974 times
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The lot fills up by 7:30 ish. I take the 6:12 train in the morning. It has been pretty reliable barring the super cold days and days some mechanical issue or other issues happen. Good luck! It's not easy but doable. I usually take the 5 pm or 5:22 train back...$2/day and there is an app also which is a little bit more but if u are in a hurry you can pay after u board the train...
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Old 03-01-2015, 04:08 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
6,219 posts, read 5,895,851 times
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My own experience on parking availability ... I never have problems finding a morning day commuter space in the North lot - as long as I'm there by 7:30am (or 7:45am at the latest). However, if by "filled up" one means all the spaces close to the underpass to the station, well, yeah, those fill up by 7:00am or so. There are almost always spaces in the west side of the North lot for day commuters, if you're willing to walk a little. Also, there are spots that convert from permit parking to day parking after 9:00am on the West side of the North lot (this is after the last inbound express).

I don't see this mentioned in the thread - you can get a smart card at the Naperville city clerk's office, and load it up so you don't have to use cash or a credit card. I reload mine once a month.

One other tip: if you try to sit in the cars closest to Union Station on the way in, be first in line. Those fill up fast, and sometimes the aisle's packed with people who just gotta get into the Station 30 seconds before everyone else. During the cold months, I'd say there's maybe one delay every few weeks due to mechanical problems.
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Old 10-25-2015, 09:02 PM
 
Location: Tri-Cities
720 posts, read 1,072,385 times
Reputation: 633
The City of Aurora looks for reasons to write people tickets in those public lots. Despite the rampant crime in their city, it sure seems like they spend a lot of time carefully examining the vehicle registration stickers on your plates and slapping you with $25 dollar tickets. It's definitely because of the poor financial decisions they made.
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