Damaged walls, chipping paint and discolored pipe joints mar the over 100-year-old Evanston Davis Street Metra station. But now the regional rail operator has plans to revamp the dilapidated digs.

Metra spokesman Michael Gillis told The Daily that the agency has plans for a “full-scale renovation” of the station. These improvements include boosting Americans with Disabilities Act access, adjusting handrail heights and evaluating other aspects.

Amenities like bike racks and displays with train tracking information will also be added. Gillis said Metra is in the early stages of the restoration process’s design phase, which is expected to take about a year before it has a clear timeline for construction. 

“It would be basically restoring everything about the station,” Gillis said. 

Gillis said Metra has limited capital dollars and would be renovating more stations with more funding. However, its current allocation allows it to employ developments less extensively than it wishes. 

“If we had all the money that we wish we had, we would be renovating more stations and probably doing it on a more frequent basis,” Gillis said. “But, we just have to do what we can. The (Davis Street) station was identified as one that needs work, so we’re planning that work.”

Charley Bell, a Weinberg senior from Winnetka, said he uses the Davis Street station, one of Evanston’s three stops along the line that runs from the Ogilvie Transportation Center to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to get home. 

His biggest complaint was the time between the trains, not the station’s condition. However, the improvements are welcome.

“It’s convenient enough for what I need it for,” Bell said. “There’s a ramp. I brought my bike on the train before, so it was accessible for that.”

Metra has recently renovated multiple South Side stations, focusing on making them ADA accessible. It has installed elevators and other developments at stops that have not seen prominent improvements since their openings. During construction, some stations were closed for over a year.

Gillis said there was a “big push” for the South Side stops because of the lack of ADA accessibility. However, he added that the agency recognizes that other stations also need work. 

“It could be better kept, but the trains are still running, so that’s good,” said rider Matthew Jenkins, who used the Davis Street stop after dining at Mensch’s Deli on Monday. 

Jacob Woodfork, of Evanston, uses the Davis Street stop to travel to Kenosha. 

He said the renovations are key, but he didn’t expect them to happen so soon.

“The way this looks, (it’s) most definitely needed,” Woodfork said.

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