147th Street/Sibley Boulevard Metra Station

Metra’s 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard passenger rail train station in Harvey, Illinois, was long defined by infrastructure rather than experience. Flanked by steep embankments that limited access, the original facility lacked visibility, safety, and accessibility. The challenge was to deliver infrastructure improvements that upgraded outdated systems and reframed the space as a civic asset supporting multimodal access, restoring community connections, and bringing architectural dignity to a historically underserved location.

GFT transformed a constrained, neglected transit site into a clear, welcoming community-oriented gateway. Threaded beneath and around an active rail viaduct, the new Metra station design was carefully composed to meet technical demands while elevating user experience, introducing a light-filled headhouse, fully accessible vertical circulation, and a platform canopy defined by folded ceiling panels and sculptural columns. The design focuses on two sculptural elements — a folded ceiling canopy and rhythmically spaced columns — to create movement, scale, and visual clarity throughout the platform. By focusing design expression on a few highly visible components, the station improvements establish a bold new identity for public infrastructure and reinforce its role in the urban landscape. The improvements strengthen connectivity along the Metra Electric District commuter rail corridor, enhancing access for Harvey residents and travelers throughout the region. With financial support from the State of Illinois, the Federal Transit Administration, and Cook County’s Invest in Cook program, the effort was part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, among the projects included to advance infrastructure improvements across the region.