Commute time from Old Town to Wheaton and back (Schaumburg: home, construction)

[IlliniGuy76]

Hi All -

Here's hoping someone might be able to help me. I'm going to be starting a new job that takes me from Old Town to Wheaton in the morning. Taking 290 to Roosevelt and down, needing to be there by 8:15AM.

I'm leaving around 5:00PM. How long will each commute time be?

Thank you in advance!

[AmosBanks]

If you will be anywhere near downtown Wheaton, Metra runs right through it. I drove it for a week for training and it was 60-90 minutes door-to-door from Lawrence & Ashland. That was until I saw the train...

[chirack]

I would not do this commute. It would take an hour plus durrring rush. Non rush would be much faster but the times you listed are not good for that. If I were you I would see if Metra is an Option, that might work a lot better. Or live elsewhere like Oakpark(although frankly that is not west enough). If you live by 6:30 am you wont have much trouble with traffic going out, but no way to advoid it going in unless you hang around till past 6:00.

[chet everett]

If you are working near Roosevelt the distance to the train is not going to make for any real time savings vs driving.

I think you will end up driving and commute time will probably be over an hour, but there are folks doing much worse and if you get back to Old Town before 7Pm that is not too crazy a day...

Evenings will likely be wore than AM , weather issues can double this.

Train schedule and connecting buses make thie Metra option less than ideal, but if you are lucky to have a shuttle or the rare job in Wheaton close enough to Metra to walk that might be worth exploring.

You might also be surprised that the travel times via Roosevelt are not significantly slower than via 88/290. If there is construction that also makes a nice alternate...

[JacksonPanther]

Here's what I did for two years...

From Oak Park to Wheaton, I drove to work in Wheaton on Monday morning. Monday afternoon I drove to the Wheaton train station, left my car, and took the train home. The rest of the week I would take the train, and use my car to go the last 1.5 miles to/from the office. I would then drive home Friday evening, so I would have my car available on the weekend.

In the spring/summer/fall you could bike from the Wheaton station to your office.

At the times you list, the drive will be easily an hour in the morning, and will be worse in the evening. Unless something significant has changed, the stretch of 290 between Austin and Mannheim is an absolute killer. Add in any kind of precipitation, and you will be at 90 minutes to get home.

The train option may or may not be any quicker, but you will arrive home feeling MUCH better than you would after a 75-minute stop-n-go commute.

[Jandur]

My current commute is somewhat similar to yours. I drive from Lincoln Park to OakBrook. I'm further north but my destination isn't as far west.

I'd say the average time for me is 50 minutes, but a bad drive home during rush hour can run 1:30 or so. I also don't know where in Wheaton you are driving to but I wouldn't get off 290 at Roosevelt. You'd have to drive another 10 miles or so down Roosevelt, just take 88.

Anyway, its a ****ty commute, if you can deal with it like I can, great. But I would never do it long term unless some one was paying me boatloads.

[aragx6]

I'd bet your commute home will be at least an hour and a half once or twice a week. One accident or any inclement weather whatsoever can bring the Ike to a halt.

JacksonPanthers, that is a great idea!

[quigboto]

I commuted from Humboldt Park to Schaumburg for 2 years and I can tell you, a commute like that gets old fast. The benefit of the "reverse commute" was negligible if not non-existent, especially on bad weather days. Or days that the Sox were playing, or if there was a Hawks or Bulls game at the UC. The 290 becomes an even bigger nightmare (Which hardly seems possible until it happens to you)
Even telling myself "Other people are doing this and worse" did nothing to make me feel better. A daily commute like that takes its toll on you mentally and physically.
JacksonPanther's suggestion to drive in on Monday, park and ride at the train station and drive home Friday is the best suggestion, unless you are lucky enough to be working within walking distance of your work from the Metra stop in which case you should take the train M-F and keep your sanity.

[Drover]

As for JP's suggestion, how easy is it to get a parking permit at the Wheaton station? At some stations out in the west 'burbs the waiting list for a parking permit is measured in years. The permit fees in Wheaton are insanely cheap so I wouldn't be surprised to learn there's a waiting list there too.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I'd bet your commute home will be at least an hour and a half once or twice a week. One accident or any inclement weather whatsoever can bring the Ike to a halt.

JacksonPanther, that is a great idea!

Thanks. In 2 years, no one ever messed with my car. I called the Village of Wheaton to inquire about a parking pass. Once they knew I was going to be parking overnight and not during the day, they said "Don't worry about a pass." So the parking was free. Big lot at the College Ave station.

I don't know how you get from Old Town the the UP-West line (Ogilvie), but it's worth looking into.