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Wheaton reopening part of fire-damaged Metra station Monday

A waiting area inside the downtown Wheaton Metra station is set to reopen to commuters Monday morning, but the rest of the fire-damaged building could remain off-limits for months.

The city has received permission from structural engineers to reopen a section of the station's waiting room as a temporary shelter.

Crews should finishing cleaning the station and painting the walls Friday. The city also expects to receive a temporary occupancy certificate later in the afternoon.

The station has been closed since an accidental fire sparked by a malfunctioning heating unit on the night before Thanksgiving, but trains continue to operate at the downtown stop on the Union Pacific West Line.

The fire started in a storage and furnace room and caused extensive damage to the north side of the building at the southwest corner of Front and West streets.

Insurance inspectors and structural engineers have since been surveying the damage to determine whether the building could be occupied even temporarily. The review was necessary because the fire damaged some of the station's load-bearing walls, city officials say.

But the city last week got permission from engineers to reopen roughly 90 percent of the waiting room. The city also has installed temporary heating and electricity, but a ticket office is still shuttered and without power. The station's bathrooms also are still closed.

Temporary walls have been set up to block off restricted areas. The northern portions of the station - including the bathrooms - will have to be gutted and replaced because of fire, smoke and water damage, Assistant City Manager John Duguay said.

"There is quite a bit of work that has to be done," Duguay said.

The city will oversee permanent repairs to the building it leases from Union Pacific. The project could take several months to complete and cost roughly $300,000, Duguay said.

The city won't be on the hook for those costs because of insurance coverage but will pay a $25,000 deductible out-of-pocket.

The work will include repairs to a segment of the roof damaged by the fire, but the city is working with Union Pacific to see whether the railroad company is willing to pay for replacing the entire, roughly 20-year-old roof. City officials hope Union Pacific continues to keep two portable warming shelters in place for commuters waiting on the inbound platform on the south side of the depot.

Metra passengers can purchase tickets online at Metrarail.com/tickets, through the Ventra smartphone app or on board with cash. Wheaton commuters also can use the College Avenue station at 303 N. President St.

Wheaton Metra station still closed in the wake of November fire

  Damage from an accidental fire the night before Thanksgiving shut down the Metra train station in downtown Wheaton. Since then, commuters have been warming up in portable warming shelters next to the station, seen below. Photos Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
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