Construction and Projects

A pretty decent video of RI train #419 from US Cellular Field shows the progress of the new 35th Street station. It does appear the ramps and stairs to track level are being built with room to accomidate that future 3rd main. Metra still expects the station to be complete by the end of this year.

Belmont underpass work also now includes excavation of a small area of main track 1 just east of the ped crossing to facilitate the new pedestrian tunnel. This is illustrated in a pic I took a few weeks ago by the removal of a small segment of track between two of the temporary boarding platforms.

Metra has set the completion time for the new 35th St. Station to November/December... at this point nothing has been said about the amount of service the station will recieve.

There is also a dedicated update page for the station, which can be seen here.

BNSF has erected a cantilever signal bridge with signals in place just west of the Route 59 station where an existing CB&Q intermediate signal bridge exists. Just a matter of time until those new signals are brought online.

New signal bridges have also been erected at the intermediate east of Naperville, East Naperville, West Naperville (both the EBCS and WBCS), and the intermediate east of River Road. Rumor has it cutover is scheduled the first or second week of October.

The Belmont Road project seems to be moving along pretty quickly. As of yesterday, excavation is taking place for the new pedestrian ramp along the north station platform. The north portion of the pedestrian tunnel has already been set in place. The same has been done where the new bridge will be installed at Belmont Road itself. The north platform has also been shortened. Four temporary platforms were removed and as I was watching afternoon rush hour trains, only the 5-6 front cars were available for boardings/unloadings.

Can someone enlighten me on the now-gone third track on the UP North line? It's mentioned every time the now-delayed bridge rebuilding project gets brought up. A recent Tribune article stated that it was torn up in the 80s, which seems a bit late (although not if it was out of service for 20+ years).

Main 1 (the North track) is now back in service at Belmont Road, using the existing permanent platform.

byte wrote:Can someone enlighten me on the now-gone third track on the UP North line? It's mentioned every time the now-delayed bridge rebuilding project gets brought up. A recent Tribune article stated that it was torn up in the 80s, which seems a bit late (although not if it was out of service for 20+ years).

After crossing the north branch of the Chicago River, the third track (or more accurately, Kenosha sub track 1) began at what was once an interlocking at CP Deering, controlled by nearby CY Tower. It ran through Chicago's north side and through Evanston, terminating at Wilmette Tower, just south of the depot in that suburb, where the three mains shrunk to two. It's my understanding that Wilmette Tower was closed sometime in the 50's, and the track removed to a point in Evanston where the Kenosha sub connected to the old Weber branch, which provided a connection to the Harvard sub at Mayfair. As was the case on its other two lines, CNW used the center track bi-directionally on the Kensoha sub for both its rush hour commuter expresses and for routing long-distance trains around slower commuter locals when the need arose.

I don't know exactly when the track was removed, but I do recall seeing some CNW Evanston photos from the early 70's that still showed this track, but it was likely deactivated by that time, due to the closure of most of the inner-city stations, plus two Evanston stations at Calvary and Dempster. Eventually, the center track became the new track 1, and today, the passenger platforms on the west (outbound) side at Ravenswood, Rogers Park, plus the three Evanston stations were extended over to occupy the space of old track 1. They had been originally built as island platforms before the changes...

While not a direct Metra project, 183rd Street in Tinley Park officially opened tonight, including a brand new grade crossing. Before Metra would approve the project, Tinley Park had to close two private crossings east of Oak Park Avenue. Metra had also wanted an overpass/underpass instead of a grade crossing, but costs were too high.

First train over the new crossing after road opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMssNSNG_gU

Also in Tinley Park, construction on 80th Avenue begins on Monday.

New signal bridges have been cut over and now in operation over the BNSF commuter district between Route 59 and West Lisle. To my knowledge that would leave West Eola and the stretch between East Lisle and Highlands that would have to be replaced. Although signal bridges were replaced several years ago controlling eastbound movements at both the West Hinsdale and Highlands control points but were given searchlights over the tri-lights

It appears new signal relay cases have been recently erected near the Q signal bridge at West Hinsdale, and a new signal bridge is laying by a parking lot just west if the Hinsdale depot, so it appears that signal bridge is going to be replaced soon, probabl in the Spring if I had to guess. I've also heard from maintainers the famed signal bridge at the Highlands depot is also slated for replacement at the same time the West Hinsdale bridge comes down. I'd also guess the relatively new searchlights on the eastbound signal bridges will be replaced with vadar signals, just like the new searchlights that were up at Naperville.

I also heard the signal bridges in Downers Grove may be replaced as early as next summer.

Speaking of Highlands, it appears they are currently replacing the platforms at that station.

Bases for a new signal bridge have been put in near the signal bridge just west of the station in Clarendon Hills. Another new relay case has been put in by the signal bridge east of Clarendon Hills (Eastbound signals for West Hinsdale). This is already a new signal bridge but like I mentioned before, this one has searchlights on it rather than vadar signals. No signs of work by the signal bridges at Highlands or the new signal bridge with searchlights east of the Hinsdale station yet. Also, Naperville is supposed to get new platforms this year.

The former Givens station on the Rock Island mainline (roughly at 111th street) has been torn down within the past few days. Drove by it on my way home from hockey tonight, and there was a backhoe in its place, surrounded by broken concrete. Givens was one of the stations closed in the early 1980s, due to low ridership. The station building itself was actually fairly modern looking, somewhat resembling the 103rd st Beverly branch station.

The first support of the new signal bridge west of the Clarendon Hills station is up. Preliminary signal work is taking place at the Clarendon Hills, West Hinsdale, Hinsdale and Highlands stations. The CB&Q signal bridges at West Hinsdale and Highlands will be completely replaced, while the signal bridges at Clarendon Hills and Hinsdale, which are modern signal bridges with searchlights rather than tri-lights, will have new tri-light signals installed on the existing bridges. Platform work also continues at Highlands, as the eastern half of the platforms are currently taken out.