And then there were those obscure commuter railroads, which typically operated only one or two daily rush hour trains each way. Several such lines were discontinued over the years. But three obscure lines lasted into the 1970's. Norfolk & Western, formerly Wabash, operated a daily train to and from Orland Park. Gulf Mobile & Ohio, formerly Alton, operated a daily train to and from Joliet. And Penn Central formerly Pennsylvania Railroad, operated two daily trains to and from Valparaiso, Indiana. A lack of transit funding in Indiana eventually meant the end of the Valparaiso trains. But within Illinois, the Regional Transportation Authority, later Metra, was formed to insure continuation of the two other commuter lines.
Since the 1970's, the areas surrounding Orland Park had been experiencing tremendous growth. But it was difficult for Metra to work with Norfolk & Western, later Norfolk Southern, to expand service and meet the new demands. Reportedly one constraint was that Norfolk & Western had an agreement with the railroad unions, that all commuter train crews would be based at the railroad hub at Decatur, 150 miles south of Orland Park. To meet some of the increased demands, Metra arranged with Pace to operate one of the more unique suburban bus routes in the Chicago area. The #835 route would operate express between downtown Chicago and Orland Park, mainly stopping only at the train stations. Metra fares would apply, and transfers to and from other bus routes would not be available.
On the commuter rail line, a second daily round trip was added in 1978. At the same time, the train of converted long distance coaches supplied by Norfolk & Western was replaced with Regional Transportation Authority bilevel equipment. By the early 1990's, service had been increased to four daily rush hour trips each way. Although with the first and last trips each rush hour covered by a single train, thus only requiring three sets and crews. But this was still considered one of the "obscure" commuter lines of Chicago, with rush hour only schedules. And thus difficult for railfans to ride, with trains not coming back to Chicago until the next morning. Although, by the early 1980's, one option became available for the more adventurous railfans. After riding outbound in the afternoon, one could walk about a mile to Orland Square Mall, where a Pace bus was available for travel back into the city.
In 1993 there was a significant breakthrough, which would be an important step in bringing the Chicago to Orland Park line out of obscurity. Metra reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern, whereby Metra would lease the line, and operate the trains with its own crews. The line became known at Metra's "Southwest Service". Metra quickly added a mid afternoon round trip, enabling railfans at last to be able to make a round trip on the line. And over the next few years, a few additional trains were added, mainly at the fringes of the rush hours. But with significant single track bottlenecks and a lack of adequate parking at stations, the line was not quite ready to become a full service Metra line.
So over the next several years, numerous improvements were made to the stations and parking, track and signals, and a second track was added between Palos Park and Orland Park. And on January 30, 2006, this line, which thirty years earlier had just one obscure daily train each way, finally joined the ranks of the old Illinois Central, Burlington Route, and Chicago & North Western, in becoming a full service Metra line.
Not quite full service actually, as service remained weekdays only until March 21, 2009, when limited Saturday service was introduced. And the base mid day frequency is every two hours, instead of hourly as on the other Metra lines. But the line is definitely more available now, to many more riders than just the daily commuters to and from downtown jobs. The increased service available may need a little time to "catch on", for some riders. And the line might not have as many "reverse commute" opportunities as the other Metra lines.
Compared to the first day of Metra service to Elburn the previous week, or especially the first day of the North Central line to Antioch ten years earlier, there probably were not as many railfans or curiosity seekers on the basic route between Chicago and Orland Park. Of greater interest to railfans, is the fact that for two rush hour trains each way, service was extended 12 miles further south of Orland Park, to Manhattan. Which puts railfans in a dilemma similar to that of thirty years ago, when just one train operated to Orland Park, and bus service had not yet been introduced to Orland Square Mall. There is no Pace bus service in Manhattan. And those few die hard railfans who wanted to ride the first trains serving Manhattan, would need to know people who could give them rides. The other railfans would need a little patience. But on March 21, 2009, mid day service was added to Manhattan, along with the limited Saturday service.
Metra's Southwest Service has come a long way, from a single daily local train each way, which actually operated all the way between Chicago and Decatur, but conveniently scheduled in the Chicago suburban area to coincide with the rush hour. A full service schedule is now in operation, although to some degree, the line remains a "work in progress". For example, a new station at Laraway Road, on the Manhattan extension, would not be ready until October 9, 2006. And improvement projects were still under way, including several existing stations and parking lots. But as the line capacity grows, and the schedule grows, and the population grows, Metra's Southwest Service is headed for even a brighter future.