Transportation

With a Guiding Principle of Convenient and Efficient Transportation, Prairie Crossing was designed to combine development with the preservation of open land and easy commuting to the city by rail. As sprawl eats up farmland and clogs highways with traffic, jeopardizing the quality of life in metropolitan areas across the country, Prairie Crossing offers attractive homes at great value. In 2005 the Federal Transit Administration predicted that at least one-quarter of all American households is likely to seek housing near transit over the next 20 years in “the biggest shift in housing since Americans flocked to the suburbs after World War II”. Prairie Crossing is unique in this respect – two Metra stations are within easy walking distance of the community along with other transportation networks.

Metra Commuter Trains

As Prairie Crossing was developed, George and Vicky Ranney helped Metra secure the land needed to create two new stations to serve Prairie Crossing residents and the overall community. Often cited as a ‘transit oriented development’, Prairie Crossing is so named because these two Metra commuter lines cross next to the community. Many residents of Prairie Crossing have chosen to live here due in part to its access to transit.

The two Prairie Crossing Metra stations offer a wide range of transit options. Residents can walk to the train and reach Chicago’s Union Station in a little over an hour on Metra’s Milwaukee District North line. From the other station, residents can get to O’Hare International Airport in 35 minutes as well as to Chicago’s Union Station on Metra’s North Central line. Almost 300 trains a week stop at the two Prairie Crossing stations, offering virtually unprecedented rail access for a suburban community.

Pace Suburban Bus Service

Prairie Crossing is also served by Pace suburban bus service. Pace Bus Route 572 provides bus service to Waukegan, Great America, College of Lake County, Carmel Catholic High School, and the Mundelein Metra station. Pace Bus Route 574 provides bus service to the Mundelein Metra station, Carmel Catholic High School, Libertyville Metra station, College of Lake County, and Westfield Hawthorn mall in Vernon Hills.

Trail Network

Prairie Crossing’s extensive trail network is another transportation amenity. More than 10 miles of trails inside Prairie Crossing connect to the 5,800 acre Liberty Prairie Reserve via the Route 45 underpass and onward to Independence Grove and the Des Plaines River trail which stretches almost to the Wisconsin border through Lake and Cook counties. Click here for a Lake County trail map overview – Prairie Crossing is located on the map between Route 120, Route 137, and Route 45.