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'Rundown,' Moldy Pullman Metra Stations Set For Minor Makeovers Next Year

By Mark Konkol | November 17, 2015 6:20am

PULLMAN — There’s good news for the dilapidated Metra stations serving Chicago’s only National Monument.

After years of neglect, there’s a plan to “beautify” the stops at 111th Street, with its street entrance that could double as a horror movie location and a warming shelter covered in smelly black mold, and the less broken-down 115th/Kensington depot next year.

But don’t get too excited Greater Roseland-area commuters. We're not exactly talking about an extreme Metra station makeover.

The 115th/Kensington stop, the more heavily trafficked depot and a favorite for park-and-ride suburban commuters, is set to undergo minor wall repairs and get a new paint job.

Metra officials have ordered up about $150,000 of repairs for the 111th Street station including removal of part of the platform, the repair or replacement of warped decking, rotting stairs, shaky handrails and crumbling concrete steps, and adding a fresh coat of paint.

Also, there’s a long list of fixes on tap for the moldy warming shelter one Monday night commuter described as “pathetic” and another called “rundown.”

Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said a decision hasn't been made on whether to make piecemeal repairs to the moldy warming shack or tear it down and build a new one.

Here's a short video of what Metra Electric Line riders see when they get off the train at the 111th Street station at the Pullman National Monument to help them decide.

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