Illinois Amtrak Service

Sometimes, you just can't win.

This morning WBBM 780/105.9 reported that in order to move forth with the CHI-MKE frequency increase to "ten a day", a 10,000 ft track will have to be laid within the municipal limits of Glenview so that freight traffic will not interfere (I'd guess somewhere near Techny).

Enter the NIMBYS; think we all know "the rest of the story".

I'm confused, the line is already double tracked. there seems to be enough room for four tracks, which makes me wonder if this is simply restoring what once existed?

I thought this would fit between Glenview and North Glenview "no problem". Looks to be about 2,500 feet too short (1.42 miles=~7,500 feet). Measured using distance tools in Google maps with adjustments at intermediate points for curvature.

StLouSteve wrote:Here's an update on the Chi to Stl line.

Thanks for posting the link to the presentation. Useful status update with details on the track and grade crossing work being done on the corridor. Even after this many years, only $1 billion of the $1.9 billion in funding has been spent as of the Q2, 2016. With $132 million projected to be in the 3rd quarter, so they are spending money this year. With several of the track projects and segment upgrades not scheduled to be completed until December, 2017, the full 50 minutes of trip time reduction won't happen until early 2018 - and that may be optimistic.

I notice the presentation praised Siemens for the delivery schedule of the locomotives but conveniently left that out with respect to Nippon/Sharyo.

It's difficult to praise NS for ""not"" meeting the delivery schedule.

Worth noting that Northbrook to N. Glenview is almost exactly 2.0 miles (approx. 10,000 feet). I would imagine that's the intended location.

IDOT has applied for a Fastlane grant for the 75th Street crossover per this Chicago Tribune article.

Worth noting:

One of the advantages of the project would be that it would connect Metra's SouthWest Service to the Rock Island Line around 74th Street and Normal Avenue, which would allow the service to terminate at the underused LaSalle Street station rather than at clogged Union Station — eliminating delays and freeing capacity for more intercity rail service, according to IDOT.

This may have been asked elsewhere, but I searched the forum and couldn't find anything recent. Anyway:

Any updates on the status of the various CREATE projects that Amtrak made those promotional videos for a while back? I haven't heard anything on this front for quite some time, which is surprising considering a) the vast number of projects involved and b) the fact that all actors (Amtrak, freights, govt) agree that these projects need to happen. On the CREATE website, there is a section with press releases, but the most recent one is from February. Can someone more familiar with the program give a broad overview of "where we're at"?

Many thanks.

New depots coming: Pontiac Daily Leader

Work continues on new train depot for Pontiac

Construction crews were hard at work Wednesday morning on Pontiac's new train station, just south of where the current depot stands. City Administrator Bob Karls said that the estimated completion date is in the spring, and that the new station will feature new amenities akin to the depot recently built in Dwight.
...
The city administrator had noted that the impetus for the construction of the new station was to complement the high-speed rail project, and the resultant difference from conventional railroads in the height of the tracks, length of the trains and other factors.

Karls said that the new station is being 100 percent funded through the high-speed rail project, which has its own inception in the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was the stimulus bill created after the global recession of 2008. The ARRA had provisions for $8 billion in federal stimulus for rail congestion improvement projects alone, with priority toward high-speed rail construction.

The City currently rents out a small waiting room at the otherwise privately owned depot, which is also home to the local businesses of Joe's Station House Pizzeria and the Catalina Lounge. Karls said that once the new station is complete, it will no longer need to rent the waiting room at the original depot.
...

Inching closer and closer to the big service upgrades from "rapid"/"higher" speed.

I seem to remember a claim that 70% of the route would be up to 110 mph by the end of 2015. I'm starting to wonder if it's ever going to happen! So far, just a token 15 mile demo stretch of 110 mph between Dwight and Pontiac...

Last year and this year are huge in terms of construction. There is an absolutely massive amount of construction which has taken literally years to prepare for that has been or is being executed literally as I write this response. The funds will be spent on time.

gokeefe wrote:The funds will be spent on time.

Oh, of that I have no doubt. The question is will the taxpayers get any 110 mph running out of the spending?