In an effort to extend the Metra line to DeKalb, a petition created by DeKalb resident Jane Rogers, has received over 1,000 signatures and support from various public entities, including NIU and the Northern Star Editorial Board.

Bringing a Metra station to DeKalb opens up several possibilities for NIU students and DeKalb County citizens, and the Northern Star feels the added transportation could attract more students and solve parking problems on campus.

If a student wishes to get to the Chicago area, the closest transportation is the Elburn Metra line, which is a 20-minute drive from campus. For many students, this poses a problem and efforts to alleviate this issue, such as the Elburn shuttle are inconvenient and costly.

“My only transportation is … the train to Chicago and then … a connecting train home,” Megan Gaspar, junior kinesiology and pre-med major said. “It’s inconvenient, and the Elburn shuttle is also inconvenient for me and many other students.”

The Elburn shuttle will take students from campus to the Elburn Metra line, but it only runs four times on Fridays and three times on Sundays. The shuttle costs students $6.25, making a round trip cost of $30 if a student needs to take the shuttle and train both ways.

John Heckmann, associate vice president of facilities management and campus services, released a statement on change.org, where the petition can be found. In the statement, he said NIU and President Baker support the initiative.

“NIU takes the position of supporting the idea of a connection, but it has to be the county that ultimately makes that decision,” Heckmann said. “There [are] so many benefits it comes with [such as] that direct connection to the Chicagoland area [and] having an avenue for students to reach campus without having a car. Inherently, NIU does like the idea of that direct connection.”

Some opponents of the petition have stated that this addition would raise taxes in DeKalb County, making it a poor choice for the community, but there are many economic benefits that could counter this problem in the long term.

Sabrina Imundo, 24 of DeKalb, who has signed the petition, said she feels the train could be a good economic choice for DeKalb in the long run.

“I think there are more economic benefits [because] people from DeKalb can travel to other counties along the line and help contribute to a local economy,” Imundo said. “That also means there are people that are going to come into DeKalb through the train line and contribute to our economy.”

In addition to generating revenue for the county, there is also an opportunity to create jobs if the train line is approved. It has the potential to help citizens gain access to a wider range of positions such as Imundo who said most jobs in her field, graphic design, are based in Chicago. This goes hand-in-hand with a student’s ability to apply for more internships, as many are based in the Chicagoland area, and train access would allow them the opportunity to apply to those positions.

With the best interests for DeKalb and NIU students in mind, adding a Metra line to DeKalb could provide numerous benefits, and the Northern Star Editorial Board considers it a substantial addition to the NIU and DeKalb communities.