Transportation Issues G8/NATO Summit

NICTD (South Shore) has posted the following general notice on their news page:

GENERAL NOTICE INFORMATION REGARDING G8/NATO SUMMITS

Passengers are beginning to inquire about the impact of the G8/NATO summits on South Shore train service during the week leading up to and during the summits.

The actual events are scheduled for May 19-21, 2012 at McCormick Place. As you know, the South Shore, Metra Electric, Amtrak and CN freight trains pass under McCormick Place.

The summits have been declared a National Special Security Event by the White House and the United States Secret Service is in charge of all law enforcement activities.

While our police department is participating in transportation security planning with multiple local, state and federal law enforcement partners, there are no specific plans at this time to indicate how these summits may affect passenger service.

As security plans are formalized and authorized for release to the public, NICTD will immediately apprise our passengers of what to expect during the summits.

Please periodically check back to this site for updated G8/NATO summit information.

I do not believe CN uses that section of line any more, and if they do trains could be rerouted. I can understand why trains running basically through the building are an issue. The 19th and 20th are a weekend and with G8/NATO in town perhaps Monday would be a good day to not commute to Chicago.

I expect station closures within the security zone. 11th St seems far enough away to stay open but I expect 18th, 23rd and 27th will be closed.I wouldn't be surprised to see heavily armed police at every MED station and NICTD stations near Chicago looking for suspicious people and packages. If they decide to completely close the rail line north of 51st St it would really put a crimp in the commute but these major summits seem to attract a lot of protesters and threats.

It's quite possible the rail lines, along with Lake Shore Drive will be closed during the NATO/G8 conference. During the Democratic convention in Boston, North Station was closed, forcing north side MBTA passengers on to buses at the last stop outside North Station.

If the G-8 shindig is such a terrorist magnet, what was the big idea having it in a populated area?

Passenger wrote:If the G-8 shindig is such a terrorist magnet, what was the big idea having it in a populated area?

There are not a lot of convention centers big enough to handle G8 outside of populated areas. It is a protest magnet, and unfortunately in other cities a few bad people have lead to violence at protests. Hopefully Chicago can avoid that.

But the more I look at the location the more I expect that few will be allowed closer than a mile from McCormick place ... which would end the Ike at the Dan Ryan (with LSD closed) and affect several CTA lines south of the loop as well. Hopefully Metra/NICTD will be able to run through the zone to Van Buren / Randolph but I doubt it. Security would probably go in to full panic mode if one of the trains stopped under or close to McCormick place.

Note: Metra has a special page on their website with a notice (similar to NICTD's reproduced above).

http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/serv ... ummit.html

Too bad the green line is no longer a viable alternative. At one time Metra passengers could have transferred at 63rd to adjacent green line trains.

Bottom line, that weekend is going to be a mess and I'm doing my best to get out of town on Weds or Thurs for the weekend.

The White House announced today that the Summit will be at Camp David, MD instead of Chicago.

Electric train passengers, rejoice!

You beat me to the post ... but NATO is still coming to town:

WASHINGTON | The White House is moving the site of the upcoming G-8 economic summit from Chicago to the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland.

It's an unusual late location change for such a large international summit. The White House gave no immediate reason for the shift, saying only in a statement that Obama is inviting his fellow G-8 leaders to Camp David to "facilitate a free-flowing discussion."

The G-8 meeting will be held May 18-19. The White House says Obama still plans to host the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21.

Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/national/g ... z1oHnxMKKN

Moderator's Note: :
Eventhou G8 has moved, & nato summit is still here we don't know the plans for transit around McCormick Place,& Downtown Chicago with the propose protesters, so until then I am locking this topic, when news come about send a PM about it then the topic will be reopened.
Thanks!

Note: When it does Come into town, I am staying away from Downtown for those days of the NATO summit.

Topic being unlocked for new info.

NATO Summit May Shut Down Rail Lines Under McCormick Place
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/me ... r-20120329

Chicago - The U.S. Secret Service is considering shutting down rail lines that run beneath McCormick Place during the May 20-21 NATO summit to protect world leaders meeting there, potentially inconveniencing thousands of commuters, transit officials said Wednesday.

The extraordinary security measure could impact the South Shore and Metra Electric lines as well as Amtrak and the Canadian National Railway. All four lines operate beneath the summit site where leaders from more than 50 nations will gather.

Note the video showing metra diesel line trains(like alot of BNSF videos), Amtrak lines in particular to be affected Illini, Saluki, & the City of New Orleans.

If service is indeed suspended, unfortunately MED and SouthShore would be SOL.

However Amtrak service could easily be detoured with minimal delay: Follow the Cardinal/Hoosier State route south on the C&WI to Dolton, make a reverse move onto the IHB then take the IC connection a half-mile west at Riverdale. Inbound trains can do the reverse.

JLJ061 wrote:If service is indeed suspended, unfortunately MED and SouthShore would be SOL.

Agreed. Hopefully the decision to close MED/CN-IC is announced early so the agencies and passengers can make other plans. The concept of a complete shutdown of MED/NICTD ... with NICTD being down all the way to South Bend ... is a major disruption.

However Amtrak service could easily be detoured with minimal delay: Follow the Cardinal/Hoosier State route south on the C&WI to Dolton, make a reverse move onto the IHB then take the IC connection a half-mile west at Riverdale. Inbound trains can do the reverse.

Would that turn the train? I realize CN-IC trains turn leaving CUS to the air-line but that its a short section of track. Thornton reverse to Harvey would allow the train to reverse for 2 1/2 miles then resume in the same direction. Dolton reversing using CSX to Riverdale across the Calumet and back again would be about 1 1/2 miles of reverse running. (Or follow the SWS to CN Elsdon Subdivision and back to CN-IC at Harvey?)

This sucks. I don't like the concept of inconveniencing 100,000+ commuters and corridor riders in order to hold this summit in town. I was especially irked today when I heard that "the city taxpayers won't have to pay because private donors have kicked in enough to fund the conference". Mmmkay, how about the nations in the G8 or NATO pay for the G8/NATO summit? And have it in Branson or San Juan, enjoy the warm(er) weather, and let us go to work in a normal fashion?

Tadman wrote:This sucks. I don't like the concept of inconveniencing 100,000+ commuters and corridor riders in order to hold this summit in town. I was especially irked today when I heard that "the city taxpayers won't have to pay because private donors have kicked in enough to fund the conference". Mmmkay, how about the nations in the G8 or NATO pay for the G8/NATO summit? And have it in Branson or San Juan, enjoy the warm(er) weather, and let us go to work in a normal fashion?

It's that 1% vs. the 99% mentality. The 1% wants to meet and screw over the 99% that need to get to work while they're at it.

justalurker66 wrote:

JLJ061 wrote:If service is indeed suspended, unfortunately MED and SouthShore would be SOL.

Agreed. Hopefully the decision to close MED/CN-IC is announced early so the agencies and passengers can make other plans. The concept of a complete shutdown of MED/NICTD ... with NICTD being down all the way to South Bend ... is a major disruption.

However Amtrak service could easily be detoured with minimal delay: Follow the Cardinal/Hoosier State route south on the C&WI to Dolton, make a reverse move onto the IHB then take the IC connection a half-mile west at Riverdale. Inbound trains can do the reverse.

Would that turn the train? I realize CN-IC trains turn leaving CUS to the air-line but that its a short section of track. Thornton reverse to Harvey would allow the train to reverse for 2 1/2 miles then resume in the same direction. Dolton reversing using CSX to Riverdale across the Calumet and back again would be about 1 1/2 miles of reverse running. (Or follow the SWS to CN Elsdon Subdivision and back to CN-IC at Harvey?)

Amtrak would not have to use CSX at all at Dolton. There is a UP/IHB interchange in the southeast quadrant of the interlocking, so outbounds just have to pull south of the diamonds, reverse east onto the IHB and the pull west one-half mile to the CN/IC connector track just east of the Blue Island Yard at Riverdale. That would the only reverse move they would have to make.