Illinois Amtrak Service

If the first phase is done, what does this mean in terms of schedule, speed or time-keeping? Will they tweak the schedule after Christmas to reflect the new conditions south of Springfield?

Nothing, I think. They still have crossing gate and signaling upgrades to do. This project was track replacement. The main benefit so far is a smoother ride. Are the locos they use now capable of 110 mph? I know they are ordering new train sets regardless.

Yes, the P42's are good for 110 mph. The single level rolling stock (Amfleet, Horizon) is also good for 110, but the Superliner-equipped Texas Eagle would be limited to 100 mph.

Do you know what type of cab signal system Illinois is going with? I recall the earlier signal system on the route that was supposed to allow for 110 mph operation back in the 2004 timeframe, and it never happened.

100 for the eagle? That will take some time off it's trip too. I'm curious about the signaling too.

What's going to happen between Joliet and Dwight? Iirc, there are dome sidings that need to be added/upgraded to facilitate meets.

They could shave some more time off of Alton to Stl if they reworked some junctions and eliminated slow orders. I've noticed that northbound trains run significantly slower than sb trains on a segment of tracks that are parallel but some distance apart. Anybody know why this is so?

The schedule shown in IDOT's grant application shows no time coming off the Eagle. I hope that isn't the case in the end.

I was told by IDOT to stay tuned for news on improvements for STL-ALN.

I couldn't find anything specific in the application about cab signaling just "state of the art signaling"

They could shave some more time off of Alton to Stl if they reworked some junctions and eliminated slow orders. I've noticed that northbound trains run significantly slower than sb trains on a segment of tracks that are parallel but some distance apart. Anybody know why this is so?

STL to Alton is two parallel tracks dispatched together but actually two different railroads with different speed limits and one of the tracks is not signalled the same in both directions. This is from a Trains Mag article on the Amtrak Lincoln corridor from a year or two ago.

STL to Alton is two parallel tracks dispatched together but actually two different railroads with different speed limits and one of the tracks is not signalled the same in both directions. This is from a Trains Mag article on the Amtrak Lincoln corridor from a year or two ago.

That is correct.

The western/southbound track is welded rail, owned by UP, and is good for 79mph operation, but only signaled in the southbound direction. Passenger trains going northbound on this track would be limited to 59mph "dark territory" operation, per GCOR operating rules.

The eastern/northbound track is owned by the KCS, and is only 30mph jointed rail between Lenox Tower and Wood River. North of Lenox, it becomes welded rail and good for 60mph.

To further complicate the matter, the two freight carriers have agreed to operate this stretch as jointly dispatched, directional running. For the relatively short stretch (~20 miles), UP apparently finds this to be more efficient than installing bi-directional signals, and alternating their traffic in both directions on a single track. I can't say I blame them, either. KCS handles the dispatching duties, though, and operates this territory under Track Warrant Control.

Some northbound Amtrak trains will be given a track warrant on UP main 1, if the current of traffic allows. Given the train schedules being constructed around movement on KCS main 2, though, this will usually only result in a 6+ minute dwell at Alton, waiting for the scheduled departure time.

Thanks for the explanation.

Mr Hawkeye is right on, but the speed limit on No. 2 between Wood River and Lenox is 79, not 60. Or at least it was a couple of years ago, when I was running down there. It is indeed 30 between Lenox and WR Tower (nee Granite City).

No. 2 is bidirectionally signaled, but that doesn't really help things a whole lot. You don't want to "wrong main" going south, because the schedule doesn't really allow for that seven miles of 30mph between Lenox and WR.

One other note is that, going south, you ALWAYS get an Approach signal at 272.7 - Pontoon Road - in advance of the Restricting (or Stop) at WR Tower. Per KCS rules, an Approach requires "immediate" reduction to 30mph. If you're on No. 1, that's a fairly healthy distance to be doing 30 when you could be doing 79. Of course if the engineer wants to make up a minute he can always apply his own definition of "immediate" - but that opportunity has been negated by a semi-permanent slow order of 30 or 25 at the ex Pontoon Road crossing. It might finally be gone, now, but I'm not sure.

And of course, the speed limit through Lenox is 30 on No. 1 south (max 20 north, due to Restricting indication) and 10 over the puzzle switch there on No. 2. The turnout at Wann from No. 2 to the single track is 15. And the Wood River diamonds are 40 on No. 1, 25 on No. 2. There are a whole bunch of low speed areas on this stretch of track that need to be rectified.

This is a logistical nightmare for upgrading for faster running. You are dealing with two different railroads, freight traffic, and junctions.

It will be insteresting to see how this will be upgraded. It seems like UP would benefit from double tracking south of Alton. It looks like there would be room for a second track most of the way to Mississippi river.

Rode the 304 yesterday STL-SPI. The college crowd was huge. We were late due to long boarding time. I was in the front car and then realized we didn't have a loco. They added another coach and loco. Our consist was loco, 6 coaches, snack car. We left 40 mins late. We averaged 24 mph STL-ALN and lost another 20 mins, pathetic. The rest of the way was smooth and fast and arrived in SPI about 55 mins late. Last year I took the 304 on the Wed before and everything went great, albeit a much smaller crowd boarded in STL. I guess the Tues before is most popular with the college kids. Not a good way to garner life-long customers Amtrak.

Here's a vid of one of the upgraded sections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkm6kyNj79Y

Passing through West Quincy, MO yesterday (Sat after Thanksgiving), I saw the Carl Sandburg resting comfortably in the BNSF yard with 5 coaches and Cafe/BC car. Since the normal number of coaches is 3, I'm glad to see Amtrak able to use the reservation system for something other than setting prices.

Now if Amtrak could only do the same with LD trains.

St Louis' Hockey team is running special promotion with Amtrak so St Louis fans can ride up to Chicago today and return tomorrow. This should expose some new folks to Amtrak travel across Illinois.

From the Blues Website:

>>>Amtrak Train to the Game
Travel to Chicago and Watch a Game

The St. Louis Blues are proud to introduce the Amtrak Train to the Game on Nov. 30 at Chicago.

With the purchase of a ticket to this unique event, Blues fans will take an Amtrak train from downtown St. Louis all the way to downtown Chicago to watch the Blues face off with the Blackhawks on Nov. 30 at United Center.

Tickets are $88 each and include a round-trip Amtrak ticket, a Tier-3 ticket to the game and a travel-goody bag.

The train leaves St. Louis at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30 with a ceremonial departure featuring Blues executives, alumni and Louie.

Only 50 tickets are available and can be purchased by filling out the form below.

Fans taking the train to the game will need to book their own hotel accommodations in Chicago. Below are some recommended hotels in the area:

* Holiday Inn Express and Suites – 312- 957-9100 (3 blocks south from the train station)
* Palmer House – 312-726-7500 (1 mile from the station)
* Chicago Hilton – 312-922-4400 (1 mile from the station)
* Crown Plaza - 312-372-7696 (1+ mile from the station)
* Westin River North – 312-799-1900 (2 miles from the station)
* Embassy Suites Lakefront – 312-836-5900 (2+ miles from the station)
* Marriot Chicago at Medical District/UIC - 312-491-1234
* Holiday Inn Chicago - Mart Plaza - 312-836-5000
* Club Quarters, Central Loop - 312-214-6400
* Central Loop Hotel - 312.601-3525
* Congress Plaza Hotel - 312-427-3800

All luggage is carry-on. All trains are non-smoking. Return trip is Wednesday, Dec. 1 with a 1:45 p.m. departure from Chicago. The train is expected to arrive in St. Louis at 7:25 p.m.

For questions, call the Blues at 314.622.2569.

It will be a long ride back after the loss . . .

steve4031 wrote:It will be a long ride back after the loss . . .

The Long ride would be from any of the hotels mentioned to the United Center & back. Ths may be a question more for the CTA section since it is easier for Rams fans to get to SF & Cardinal fans to get to Wrigley than Blues fans to find their way to the United Center. Something to think about in the future.