The Likelihood of a New Metra Line in the Western Suburbs

Before CN's acquisition of the EJ&E, the CN Freeport Sub use to see much more traffic on a daily basis than it does now. With the acquisition of the EJ&E and its Leithton Sub, CN can easily navigate around the Chicagoland area without having to use the Freeport or other railroads. I have read on a couple websites that CN is planning to abandon the Freeport Sub altogether, and when I read that, I was thinking, instead of CN totally abandoning the Freeport Sub, why not sell it to Metra? If that were to be the case, maybe Metra can add a new line running between Union Station and Elgin by means of the Freeport Sub. The line could serve the towns of Broadview, Westchester, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale (Army Trail Road), and Carol Stream. If this does happen, the towns along the Freeport Sub will really benefit from new/extra commuter rail service between Elgin and downtown Chicago. The only problem is that much of the Freeport Sub is only one track, but there are several stretches of the MD-N, NCS, and SWS Lines which are currently one track, so maybe that wouldn't be a major obstacle.

I brought this up on the City Data forum, but I want to hear the thoughts and opinions of true railroad fans on this subject. Do you think it possibly could happen sometime in the future?

There is lots of freight traffic on the Freeport line west of The J, so that wouldn't be abandoned, and commuter trains there are untenable. I would expect a shortline to buy the line east of The J if CN ever put it up for abandonment, which would probably allow the opportunity for commuter service at the right price. Part of the line closer to the city might be good for dmu service similar to Tri-Met in Portland, with mostly one track being good enough. But not really worth the capital expense since the Milwaukee, UP, and BNSF Metra lines are so close.

Also, Illinois is intending to operate Amtrak trains to Iowa over Freeport subdivision, although that may not happen either under CN's understandable caveats.

I don't think we really need another Chicago-Elgin commuter line. The suburb-to-suburb commuter line proposed a long time ago for the EJ&E would be more useful. Unfortunately, the increased use of the former J by CN for freight may may make this a lost opportunity.

CHTT1 wrote:I don't think we really need another Chicago-Elgin commuter line. The suburb-to-suburb commuter line proposed a long time ago for the EJ&E would be more useful. Unfortunately, the increased use of the former J by CN for freight may may make this a lost opportunity.

Unfortunately, I was in a hurry this morning, and forgot to add that if Metra service is proposed to run along the Freeport Sub to Elgin, it would be very similar to the scheduling of the Heritage Corridor, but with a few more scheduled trains in the AM/PM rush periods. Joliet has two Metra lines, so why not Elgin? I think added Metra service would be beneficial since the population of many towns along the Freeport Sub east of the Elgin region are expecting a population rise. They are also underserved by mass transit.

CN wouldn't allow it on its main line rails to Iowa, so the Freeport subdivision would only get commuter trains if CN gave up ownership east of the J crossing at Munger, and the trains would never go west of there. Also, the less dense suburbs around Elgin are already well served by the Milwaukee and UP Metra lines with more frequent service, while the two Joliet lines serve separate areas (with one more Metra line in the middle). Illinois was planning a South Elgin Amtrak station anyway, so the small niche ridership that would develop could probably be fine with the one or two daily round trips offered by that. The best hope for commuter usefulness of the line would be on a shorter route ending somewhere around 355. That would allow a cheaper "light rail" operation with a more respectable schedule.

Milwaukee_F40C wrote:Illinois was planning a South Elgin Amtrak station anyway, so the small niche ridership that would develop could probably be fine with the one or two daily round trips offered by that.

Will the short trip to Union Station be allowed without a ticket on a connecting train elsewhere? It looks like Joliet to Chicago is allowed on the state supported trains (not 21/22 Texas Eagle). Travel to/from Homewood is for connecting passengers only.

Metra210 wrote:Joliet has two Metra lines, so why not Elgin?

For reasons that are a complex combination of history, evolution, and politics. Also, Joliet commuters have a choice of two downtown Chicago terminals to choose from during rush hours. If the new CN line from Elgin could be routed into LaSalle St (which is logistically possible), then perhaps that could be a selling point I suppose. But I'm afraid the cost and CN's heavy freight presence would mitigate any advantages this might afford.

With that in mind, I'll agree with Chris' assessment of the current service provided as being adequate...

Metra210 wrote: I think added Metra service would be beneficial since the population of many towns along the Freeport Sub east of the Elgin region are expecting a population rise. They are also underserved by mass transit.

While Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights, and Broadview are underserved by rail (as in not at all), there is plenty of Pace bus service available, most of which connects to existing Metra stations. The majority of the connections are convenient, but can be a little inconsistent off-peak depending on route...

Will the short trip to Union Station be allowed without a ticket on a connecting train elsewhere?

I was wondering about that myself, and I couldn't find anything about how they would treat the South Elgin station (Youngsdale in IC days). In most cases it looks like Amtrak doesn't allow travel between stations within Metra territory without a connecting itinerary. I think Naperville to Chicago isn't allowed on any Amtrak train state supported or not, and I don't know about Glenview. Most of the Amtrak lines in to Chicago are also Metra lines (Homewood sort of counts), though. The Freeport subdivision would be a fully state and federally supported line (not from Amtrak's own budget) and it has no Metra service. I don't see more than about twenty people per year driving to South Elgin to take an Amtrak train west to Rockford or Iowa, or that many people coming in from the west. Commuters to Chicago would use it only if the schedule is convenient for that... and if the trains run on time. Allowing commuters and using them to boost the line's stats would be clever. What else would justify that station being there?

A note about the connection at East Jay between the Freeport Sub and the Leithton Sub (former EJ&E): the connection is poorly situated for freight trains from the west traveling to the CN's Kirk Yard in Gary. The connection is in the north east quadrant of the crossing and eastbound Freeport trains have to make a backukp move to get to the Leithton Sub to continue the trip. The CN wanted to build a connection in the southwest quadrant, but wetlands and forest preserve property made the project very challenging. I don't know if that effort is still ongoing. My wife occaisonally gets caught by a freight train in Maywood where the Freeport Sub crosses Cermak Road (22nd Street), so there is still freight traffic on the line.

doepack wrote:

Metra210 wrote:Joliet has two Metra lines, so why not Elgin?

For reasons that are a complex combination of history, evolution, and politics. Also, Joliet commuters have a choice of two downtown Chicago terminals to choose from during rush hours. If the new CN line from Elgin could be routed into LaSalle St (which is logistically possible), then perhaps that could be a selling point I suppose. But I'm afraid the cost and CN's heavy freight presence would mitigate any advantages this might afford.

With that in mind, I'll agree with Chris' assessment of the current service provided as being adequate...

Metra210 wrote: I think added Metra service would be beneficial since the population of many towns along the Freeport Sub east of the Elgin region are expecting a population rise. They are also underserved by mass transit.

While Bloomingdale, Glendale Heights, and Broadview are underserved by rail (as in not at all), there is plenty of Pace bus service available, most of which connects to existing Metra stations. The majority of the connections are convenient, but can be a little inconsistent off-peak depending on route...

I think routing a possible second Elgin (or maybe South Elgin) line to LaSalle St. would be better since LaSalle St. isn't as close to Union Station as Union Station is to Ogilvie. There are plans to reroute the Southwest Service Line to LaSalle St., which, if done, will leave Union Station with just two Metra lines serving its south concourse, the BNSF and Heritage Corridor. Before a second line is added to LaSalle Street Station, an expansion and complete renovation of the waiting area needs to take place, because it is pretty small. Adding another line to the station before that project is done will create overcrowding issues, so I think that should be taken care of first.

As a frequent Pace rider, I have noticed that only one Pace route serves Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, and Glendale Heights and its scheduling is atrocious! It does connect to the Wheaton UP-W station, and the fastest UP-W trip to or from Wheaton to downtown is approximately 35 minutes (Train 47). A new Metra route operating on the Freeport may be faster. A trip along the HC is quicker than even an express run on the Rock, so I think commuters going to/coming from Joliet benefit from taking the HC, the same as commuters going to/coming from Elgin or South Elgin and Bloomingdale, CS, and GH may benefit from a possible new Metra route.

I read that Amtrak operated the BlackHawk along the Freeport Sub, but discontinued it sometime in the 80s. There are plans to bring back passenger service along the Freeport, but since CN is so greedy and bossy (it sure seems that way), Amtrak may not be successful in carrying out this plan. However, if CN decides to negotiate with both Amtrak and possibly Metra, then we may see passenger service along the Freeport once again. I am pretty curious to see what may happen 10-15 years from now.

Metra210 wrote:As a frequent Pace rider, I have noticed that only one Pace route serves Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, and Glendale Heights and its scheduling is atrocious! It does connect to the Wheaton UP-W station, and the fastest UP-W trip to or from Wheaton to downtown is approximately 35 minutes (Train 47).

You're talking about of course, Pace route 711, which I've ridden periodically on trips to Stratford mall whenever my car's in the shop. Seems like the best connections are made in rush hours, especially with the first two southbound arrivals in the morning, and connections from outbound trains 47 & 61 in the evening. But like I said before, midday connections are more spotty and inconsistent, and for the life of me, I cannot understand why Pace doesn't move up the 12:56pm southbound arrival to the Wheaton station because the current schedule misses the inbound Metra by two minutes. Granted, the train is sometimes delayed a few minutes, and while there will be times both the train and bus arrive simultaneously, I'll bet there's also a fair share of missed connections. It's a plus that the bus stop is on the same side the train's usually on, but that can be tricky, due to frequent midday platform changes, with inbounds loading from the south platform, so even that's not guaranteed. (Sigh). Frustrating, to say the least.

Metra210 wrote:A trip along the HC is quicker than even an express run on the Rock, so I think commuters going to/coming from Joliet benefit from taking the HC, the same as commuters going to/coming from Elgin or South Elgin and Bloomingdale, CS, and GH may benefit from a possible new Metra route.

A Rock express run from Joliet via the mainline in rush hours is about the same as HC, both clock in just over an hour, give or take a few minutes, so it's a wash. Even with necessary infrastructure upgrades, I still don't think service from Elgin via the proposed Freeport line will be any faster than the current MDW service. In fact, if routed into LaSalle St., it will likely take 5-10 min. longer, but that's a necessary evil to endure in exchange for having another diesel route serving a terminal closer to the Loop, which, at this time, is the only advantage I can think of.

Could it be done? With a combination of a reasonable budget, CN's cooperation, and if the railroad upgrades are in the right places, sure. That's a pretty tall order nonetheless, but it's possible.

The more important question: Should it be done? Depends on who you talk to, but the consensus here at least, is no. I count myself among them...

CHTT1 wrote:I don't think we really need another Chicago-Elgin commuter line. The suburb-to-suburb commuter line proposed a long time ago for the EJ&E would be more useful. Unfortunately, the increased use of the former J by CN for freight may may make this a lost opportunity.

A study for commuter rail service on the Freeport sub was started nearly 20 years ago. See this Chicago Tribune article http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995 ... le-tracked from 1995 about using the then Chicago, Central & Pacific from Elmhurst to South Elgin for service across northern DuPage County.

Another proposed study for commuter rail service on the CN Freeport sub, this time from 1997: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997 ... ation-plan. It appears any further action on this idea has fallen off the stove. There is no mention of this service in the CMAP/State of Illinois "Go To 2040" Transportation plan.

Not all plans are worth building.

I lived in Chicagoland in the late 1990s. I last visited in 2009, and couldn't believe how muck places like Plano have grown. I think that westward expansion will be the main focus. Doesn't the service on the C&NW go to Elburn? Maybe DeKalb will be next, and eventually Rochelle. Men dot a could be a possibility within the next 30 years.