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Collins praises Metra for moving forward with Auburn Park Station

The Auburn Park Station that State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) has long fought for came a step closer to reality recently with Metra announcing it has approved a $28.2 million construction contract.

“The people of the South Side deserve better access to public transportation,” said Collins, who secured $30 million in state funding for the project. “Our communities have long suffered from disinvestment and unequal access to basic amenities.

I promised that I would manifest real change, and I intend to keep that promise by seeing this station open.”

The new station, which will be located at 79th Street in the Auburn- Gresham neighborhood, will run on Metra’s Rock Island Line.

The station will be fully accessible, include bicycle racks, an 84-space parking lot, and a vendor building with glass storefronts.

It also will incorporate landscaped green space, a chemical-free snowmelt system, and a living green wall along the existing retaining wall.

“I want to make sure the surrounding Black community remains engaged in this project,” Collins said. “We’ve been waiting more than a decade for this station and members of the community need to be kept informed and given the opportunity to express ideas, opinions, and concerns.”

The new station will provide a direct rail link to downtown Chicago as well as the southwest suburbs, supporting economic development and creating construction jobs while it is built.

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