Quote:
Originally Posted by MayorOfChicago
At the same time they extended a line to Elburn out west and I believe from Elgin to Big Timber.
Places that were in the direct line of the expanding suburbs - which of course just never happened when growth stopped.
Elburn and Manhattan were expecting to grow by tens of thousands of people from the Mid 2000's to today. Instead everything ground to a halt.
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Places like Manhattan and other south suburbs are always seen as a second choice compared to western and northern suburbs. The only reason to build homes there is if the market is too white hot in those other regions.
Plus, SWS service is somewhat limited, and will remain so until the 75th St megaproject is finished and they can divert SWS trains into LaSalle Station. The Rock Island already provides a much higher caliber of service and because it roughly parallels I-80 running east-west, it's convenient for most of those suburbs (yeah, you have to drive a few miles north, but the traffic is almost always light). No real reason to take SWS from Manhattan or New Lenox at all unless you work in the West Loop and want a shorter walk downtown, and even that advantage will eventually go away. SWS is really more valuable for closer suburbs like Oak Lawn, Palos and Orland Park.