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Northern Illinois complains about Amtrak expansion plans

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, July 28, 2017 5:21 PM

Buslist
 

A multi million $ flyover to avoid how many conflict minutes? This isn't the NEC.

 

 
No but it is in Chicago that finished the Englewood fyover.
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Posted by Buslist on Friday, July 28, 2017 1:52 PM

CMStPnP

 

 
 

 

I would also do a flyover at Rondout so the Northbound trains can just climb a grade and pass over the tracks on a bridge to the line to Fox Lake versus crossing them at grade.    That would at least speed things up to Western Avenue.

 

A multi million $ flyover to avoid how many conflict minutes? This isn't the NEC.

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Posted by CMStPnP on Thursday, July 27, 2017 11:13 PM

So here is a Amtrak Hiawatha Train trip from Chicago Union Station to Milwaukee on youtube.    Why the train slows to a crawl at Western Avenue is a mystery but this is what gets under my skin about the METRA territory........start and stop just like a METRA train when it should be a fast ride all the way in.     That's why I vote for adding a third track like the BNSF Aurora route has.   It looks like they used to have a third track but somebody ripped it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxAV9rOcjyM

 The first set of three tracks that veer off to the left is the former Milwaukee mainline across Northern Illinois to the Mississippi and beyond.     The second single track that veers off to the left is the former Milwaukee Fox Lake line to Central Wisconsin (Madison eventually then Portage, WI).

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Posted by CMStPnP on Thursday, July 27, 2017 11:09 PM

schlimm
Your post should be entitled "North Shore Residents..."  Big difference as the entiled North Shore folks complain about anything that might impinge on them.  If the line starts having higher speed trains (espcially Diesel), however, sound deadning barriers are the norm in cities and suburbs.

That's quite a ways inland from the shore.    

Anyway, I agree in one area, they need to triple track the line from the Wisconsin border to the West line split off maybe further in towards Union Station.    The two long sidings business strikes me as a solution that won't last very long.   I don't think they need to park any trains if they spent a little more money.

I would also do a flyover at Rondout so the Northbound trains can just climb a grade and pass over the tracks on a bridge to the line to Fox Lake versus crossing them at grade.    That would at least speed things up to Western Avenue.

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Posted by BLS53 on Thursday, July 27, 2017 8:47 PM

How did the situation in Barrington turn out with CN running oil trains on the old EJ&E? I recall organized demonstrations being in the news, but I never heard much else about it.

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Posted by BLS53 on Thursday, July 27, 2017 8:39 PM

schlimm

Your post should be entitled "North Shore Residents..."  Big difference as the entiled North Shore folks complain about anything that might impinge on them.  If the line starts having higher speed trains (espcially Diesel), however, sound deadning barriers are the norm in cities and suburbs.

 

The biggest whining NIMBY's on the planet.

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Posted by Falcon48 on Thursday, July 27, 2017 8:14 PM

The opposition is silly.  The Amtrak Chicago-Milwaukee line in Illinois is also a full service commuter corridor (between Chicago and Roundout) and is also a major CPR freight route.  The additional trains Amtrak is proposing would likely not even be noticeable to the locals, if they weren't being stirred up by whiners.

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, July 27, 2017 7:58 PM

CMStPnP
He-he-he-he, watch the video.....

http://wgntv.com/2017/01/12/amtrak-seeks-expansion-but-residents-in-north-suburbs-pushing-back/

Ya know that dust on your grill just might be from grilling on it.....heh-heh.

What a bunch of shallow whiners!  Close I-94 and see how that works.  When you have capacity constrained physical plant you have the situation the weenies are complaining about - build capacity and things move fluidly.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by schlimm on Thursday, July 27, 2017 7:53 PM

Your post should be entitled "North Shore Residents..."  Big difference as the entiled North Shore folks complain about anything that might impinge on them.  If the line starts having higher speed trains (espcially Diesel), however, sound deadning barriers are the norm in cities and suburbs.

C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan

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Northern Illinois complains about Amtrak expansion plans
Posted by CMStPnP on Thursday, July 27, 2017 7:04 PM

He-he-he-he, watch the video.....

http://wgntv.com/2017/01/12/amtrak-seeks-expansion-but-residents-in-north-suburbs-pushing-back/

Ya know that dust on your grill just might be from grilling on it.....heh-heh.

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