CN/UP to Divert Freight Around Chicago

Today's (11/27/04) Chicago Tribune has a story about
the UP/CN agreement to divert some freight around
Chicago in the Business section titled "Diverting Rail
Freight Around Chicago May Be Just the First Move".
It says that planned CN/UP changes include the
following.

1) Interchange for Texas/Western Canada traffic will
move from Chicago to Superior, WI.

2) Wisconsin traffic for Texas/Arkansas will
interchange at Salem, IL instead of Chicago.

3) Interchange between eastern Canada and south-central
US will move to Memphis from Chicago.

The changes are expected to improve transit times in
the affected lanes by 1-2 days. The total number of
carloads involved amount to 14,000-15,000 per year -
or up to 41 per day on average. If the carloads are
split 50-50 between the WC and the MP diversions, it
seems possible that no more than one train per day
will be affected on each route.

CN will shorthaul itself on the Superior interchange
(cutting traffic on ex-WC to the benefit of UP's Spine
Line), but will gain ton-miles on the ex-IC. CN will
also divert some traffic via EJ&E between Griffith, IN
and Matteson, IL. The biggest loser in all this
appears to be UP's ex-MP line between Yard Center and
Salem, IL.

- Ed Kyle

Do you or anyone know what routing this traffic will take through Minnesota? I assume it'll come down on BNSF trackage rights to the Twin Cities, but then will it take the ex-Omaha road through Sioux City or will it take the Spine Line down through Des Moines. Or is it something else completely?

From the description provided in the press releases,
which described Western Canada-Texas traffic, it
seems probable that some carloads will be added to
the Spine Line south of the Twin Cities (after running
on BNSF trackage rights from the Twin Ports). The
predicted numbers make it seem possible, but not
certain, that the traffic will be handled by existing
trains.

- Ed Kyle