A coat of paint and improved lighting can make a big difference. 

The once dingy, dark tunnel at Homewood train station is looking better and brighter now that Metra’s fall maintenance project is complete, and that’s the first thing several commuters remarked on when asked about the changes.

“It’s so bright. They did a fantastic job,” said commuter Lonnetta Taylor, who uses Homewood station daily. “It seems to be expanded.”

She said the improved lighting made her feel safer, too.

The brightness of the tunnel was also the first thing the Zelba Owens of Homewood noticed, too.

“Let there be light,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”

Owens said she also appreciates the renovated stairway from the Metra platform to the tunnel. The deterioration of the stairway this past summer was one factor in the village’s renewed efforts to get Metra to address longstanding maintenance issues.

Homewood village officials and Metra officials met Tuesday afternoon to review the results of the project and mark its completion. 

Village President Rich Hofeld and Village Manager Jim Marino thanked Metra for completing the work. Metra CEO Don Orseno thanked village officials for their patience and assistance in getting the project done.

Paint, lighting and stairway improvements were only part of the extensive project, which included 25 repair items. 

Joel Winchester, engineering director for the Metra Electric District, described the various problems that were addressed as the group made its way through the tunnel to the platform.

He noted that some improvements went beyond what Metra initially agreed to do. For example, instead of replacing lights and lens in the east side and platform stairwells, Metra replaced the old fixtures, installing LED lighting.

He said the new ceiling in the platform stairwell uses a new tile product that is supposed to be more moisture resistant than the old tiles.

Some of the problems are likely to return. Stucco surfaces on the platform were repaired and repainted, but they are damaged every winter by the salt spread on the platform to prevent commuters from slipping. 

Seepage will continue to be a problem in the tunnel, according to village and Metra officials, but some steps were taken to contain the problem. Panels were installed over places that have chronic seepage, Winchester said. That will keep the problem from becoming an eyesore, and the panels can be opened whenever crews need to clean or repair the walls.

“This is a stopgap. We all know it’s a stopgap,” Orseno said. “We need to keep on pushing ahead.”

Possible solutions to the moisture problem and other major improvements will have to wait until a planned station renovation can be done. 

Orseno said Metra is still in the process of selecting an engineering firm to conduct a study of the station. Proposals are likely to be reviewed in January.

The engineering study will be done in 2016, but completion of renovations will be dependent on the availability of funding.

Orseno said Metra continues to work with various partners, including state and federal government agencies, to get funding for capital improvements. 

The state budget stalemate between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is having an effect on capital projects, he said. Because $400 million Metra expected to get from the state is being held by Springfield, a number of station renovation projects are stalled, including those at Calumet and Hazel Crest stations.