Located less than 15 short minutes away from Chicago’s bustling downtown “Loop” business district and the renowned O’Hare Airport, the Village of Bellwood is an ideally situated, crossroads town for residents, commuters and business owners alike. The village is served by public transportation that allows commuters to access a number of destinations throughout the entire Chicagoland area and beyond.

The village is served by public transportation operations Metra and PACE, the latter of which is the premier suburban transit provider, quickly moving people to work and school safely and efficiently. The backbone of Chicago's suburbs, Pace serves tens of thousands of daily riders with more fixed bus routes, vanpools and Dial-a-Ride programs. Pace covers 3,500 square miles and is the one of the largest bus services in North America. Pace was created by reform legislation in late 1983, and began operating throughout Chicago's six-county suburbs in mid-1984. Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority. The RTA is a financial review, oversight and planning agency for Pace, Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority. For more information, call (847) 364-PACE (7223).

The 495-mile Metra system serves 230 stations in the counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, McHenry and Kane. On Metra you can reach Chicago's beautiful lakefront, museums, zoos, sporting events, shops and restaurants, concerts, special events, schools and colleges as well as quaint, historic suburbs and small towns. In some cases, Metra can take you practically to the front door. In other cases, your destination is easily in reach via Pace buses, and/or CTA buses and trains.Metra information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To reach Metra Passenger Services, call (312) 322-6777.

In December 2008, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new consolidated Metra train station that will be built in Bellwood – the first ever built in a predominantly minority community. The station will serve Bellwood and Melrose Park. The event featured details of important railway track realignment and improvements that will kick off new Metra station. The new station at about 29th Avenue north of Grant Street along the Union Pacific/West Line will replace the outdated Metra stations in Bellwood and Melrose Park, which provide inadequate parking and problematic commuter access. The station will feature a pedestrian crosswalk and a 680-space, two-story parking garage, and will be located in a TIF district and will cost an estimated $10-$15 million to build the station and parking garage, which will be funded by TIF bonds. Infrastructure improvements will begin immediately; construction of the new station will begin in about one year.

The consolidated Metra station will help foster more than $300 million in total development and investment in Bellwood and adjacent communities, including the Village’s transportation-oriented development that will be highlighted by a 55-acre residential and retail development in Bellwood and Melrose Park that will create a bustling, modern downtown district.