Watch your step while exiting at libertyville

Libertyville! Land of the free, home of the brave! Probably in my top 5 for best named Chicago suburbs, Libertyville is a wonderful little town up in the far north of Chicagoland. I’ve been here before specifically to walk through the vast expanse of prairie just outside of the downtown. I find this part of Chicagoland quite fascinating, since it feels more rural yet it’s still suburban. The towns here are quite far apart yet there’s more than just farmland separating them from each other. I don’t know why but something about this place feels so tranquil, maybe it’s the freedom in the air or the patriotism in my veins. With July 4th coming up, I only found it fitting to write about this station, while also fitting as much patriotic language I can into this post.

Service & Connections

Libertyville’s downtown station, simply known as Libertyville, is served by Metra’s Milwaukee District North line, which terminates at Fox Lake to the north and Chicago Union Station to the south. On weekdays, Libertyville is served by 19 inbound trains and 22 outbound trains, for a total of 41 trains as of June 2026. On weekends it is served by 18 trains, 9 per direction. Libertyville sees 793 weekday boardings as of 2018, making it the 65th most used station on the Metra system as of 2018.

The headways between each train on the MD-N line seem less consistent than the BNSF, which I reviewed last week. Inbound trains come in every 20-40 minutes on weekday peak hours, then transition to hourly with a strange gap in service at 5pm. It’s a similar story for the outbound trains, but without a service gap. The odd schedule may be due to the single tracking north of Lake Forest, which we will talk about more in the “Amenities” portion of the review.

Libertyville is in Zone 4 of Metra’s fare zones; a trip to Chicago Union Station will take about an hour and 15 minutes making all stops. There are 5 inbound trains that skip certain stops on the main trunk of the line, reducing the time to slightly more than an hour. Either way, getting to Chicago is no (Boston) tea party given how far this station is from the city: 35 and a half miles, to be exact. While the schedule may have its quirks, I’m actually impressed by the weekday service on the MD-N, especially given how it’s single tracked for a good portion of the line. The weekend service, however, leaves a bit to be desired; 2 hours minimum between trains is not the greatest for such a popular line.

But wait, we’re not done with this section yet. Last to cover is the one and only bus connection served by this station, that being the 574 Pace bus. The 574 has some similarities to the 834 which I reviewed last week, in that they both serve other Metra lines, and both have a terminus at a mall. The 574 runs between the College of Lake County and the Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. Taking the bus northbound from Libertyville will actually take you south for a while until you reach the Mundelein station on the NCS, which is one of my first reviews on this blog! With hourly service until 8pm on weekdays and 5pm on weekends, this bus service, like the 834, is necessary in connecting the busy MD-N line to other business centers such as downtown Mundelein and the aforementioned Hawthorn Mall, especially on weekends without NCS service. As an additional note, although it’s not advertised, it’s possible to walk between the 574 bus and the Prairie Crossing station that serves both the NCS and MD-N. This bus provides you the freedom to access any station in both Mundelein and Libertyville!

As mentioned before, Libertyville is a single-tracked station, meaning there’s only one platform that serves both as an inbound and outbound platform. The station is located on a bend in the track, which provides a visual that’s quite unique and photogenic. As for the platform itself, it has the usual necessities of every train station: bike parking, ticket machines, and a small standing shelter. Some parts of the platform are a bit narrow, specifically parts that are further away from the stationhouse.

The stationhouse is definitely the star of this show. With a lovely design made from wood and brick, it has a very classic design that makes the station really stand out compared to others I’ve been to. The interior of the stationhouse is equally as charming, with a chandelier above the exit to the parking lot, and a surprisingly clean hardwood floor. On nice thing about the stationhouse is that there are 2 exits that lead to the parking lot and the platform respectively. There are plenty of benches for waiting, as well as bathrooms and a ticket counter. There are unfortunately no cafes or bakeries at this station, although seeing the states in which those amenities were in at other stations, I don’t see that as too much of a negative. Overall, I love how the station looks and feels, especially given its uniqueness as a single tracked platform on the Metra system.

Surroundings

Imagine you’re stepping off the train here at Libertyville for the very first time. Let’s say your here in the pursuit of happiness and a good time with your friends at Milwalky Trace. You’re greeted by the station itself, of course, and a mid sized parking lot. In complete shock and disbelief, you wonder where the town of Libertyville really is. Luckily for you, looks are deceiving. By taking a small path on the east side of the station directly adjacent to the train tracks, then turning southbound on Milwaukee Avenue, you’ve arrived at downtown right in time for the meetup with your buds.

So yes, while at first it may look as if this station is placed pretty poorly, once you get over the hills or onto Milwaukee Ave, you’re right at the heart of this quaint suburb. I believe that to be an apt adjective to describe Libertyville anyways, considering its population of 20,579 and its modestly sized downtown. As mentioned previously, northern Chicago suburbs are also more sparsely populated, with large gaps of prairie and greenspace in between towns. This is why I emphasize the importance of commuter services like Metra, as it’s very valuable for people in towns like Libertyville.

As for Libertyville itself, it’s a lively community with lots of small locally owned establishments to (Louisiana) purchase goods such as the aforementioned Milwalky Trace. Downtown is very vibrant and accessible, however getting further out to other residential areas does require a bit of walking. Some parts of residential Libertyville are walkable, however other parts don’t have sidewalks to walk on. That, combined with the surprisingly hilly terrain, makes it understandable why the parking lot is so prominent, since driving may be the best option for many. As much as I dislike parking lots, I don’t mind this one all that much considering how much space there is in and around Libertyville.

Conclusion

Libertyville is certainly a suburb of freedom. Open space, big blue skies, and commuter mobility make it an attractive place to live for any freedom loving patriot. Ok, maybe that’s overhyping the place, but Libertyville is still unique and beautiful in its own ways. With it being so far from Chicago, it’s a bit of a shame that there are no express options to the Loop. However, you can’t fault the MD-N for still providing frequent weekend service to such a farflung suburb, on a single tracked line no less. If you’re looking for a fun day trip to hike prairie trails accessible by Metra, then consider taking the long-haul trip to Libertyville. Libertyville is definitely deserving of its name. It’s also deserving of this very respectable score of:

8/10

Thank you for riding with us!