Video was taken on 7/21/15.
Englewood flyover progress
- Thread starter Steve4031
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There is nothing about the Englewood Flyover that is HSR as it simply separates two freight/passenger lines. But since your video did not make it into your post, someone has been posting a series of videos on Youtube taken from what I figure is a passing Metra train of work on the flyover in roughly monthly intervals. The most recent was taken on July 1, 2014: Metra rock island Englewood flyover construction update.
You are correct. This should have been posted in commuter forum.
MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
True it isn't HSR- but the flyover will allow us to do 79mph over Englewood instead of the current 40mph over the diamond now. It will help with delays to the NS and Amtrak (the Michigan trains cross the Rock at Englewood) but it was primarily constructed to help the NS out. If the weather is kind we might be using the flyover late 2014.
The St. Louis HSR trains as well as the Texas Eagle will be routed over the Rock instead of the CN sometime after work on the flyover and Joliet station is completed- probably by this time next year.
The St. Louis HSR trains as well as the Texas Eagle will be routed over the Rock instead of the CN sometime after work on the flyover and Joliet station is completed- probably by this time next year.
Ryan
Court Jester
I thought that there was far more (currently unfunded) work required before Amtrak shifts from the CN to RI routes between CHI and JOL.
MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
They found funding- that work is being done right now. I just laid some of the ballast on the new 2nd track last month. A new Joliet station is being built (the new Metra Rock Island platform is almost done), and they are building a higher speed connection from the Rock Island to the UP at UD. The new connection is almost complete as well.
All that's left is a new connection from the Air Line at 16th Street to the Rock Island and Amtrak will be free to roam the Rock. The state wants the Lincolns off the CN as soon as possible.
All that's left is a new connection from the Air Line at 16th Street to the Rock Island and Amtrak will be free to roam the Rock. The state wants the Lincolns off the CN as soon as possible.
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Yes, the Joliet station and Englewood flyover work is funded and underway. But all of the IDOT presentations from earlier this year stated that the CHI-JOL portion was in one of the study phases, not in the construction phase. I understand that the study had identified the RI as the preferred CHI-JOL route. One part that was still under study was how to connect from CUS to the RI.
Can you provide a link to anything that states that the trains will be rerouted as early as next year? All I can find are the IDOT presentations selecting the RI as the preferred route and pointing out that more study is needed and funding has to be identified before any changes would take place between CHI and JOL.
Can you provide a link to anything that states that the trains will be rerouted as early as next year? All I can find are the IDOT presentations selecting the RI as the preferred route and pointing out that more study is needed and funding has to be identified before any changes would take place between CHI and JOL.
MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
I don't have a link to any sites. I had an Amtrak road foreman ride with me on a rush hour train 2 months ago to get aquainted with the Rock, and a good friend I worked with at UP who now is an engineer on the Lincoln Service told me so as well, and there's a new switch sitting at the 16th Street crossing.
There's not really anything to construct. You can already connect to CUS via the Air Line which we do frequently to transfer locomotives and rebuilt coaches from 47th Street to CUS. You have to shove to get up there, but the Saluki already does that move anyhow so that's not too big a deal.
There's not really anything to construct. You can already connect to CUS via the Air Line which we do frequently to transfer locomotives and rebuilt coaches from 47th Street to CUS. You have to shove to get up there, but the Saluki already does that move anyhow so that's not too big a deal.
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MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
A new connection is part of the Rock proposal that would allow trains out of CUS to go directly on the Air Line without having to shove like they do now. I'm sure if the funding comes it will be built. I still feel that travel times would be reduced even with the current layout. You have little to no freight in the way on the Rock. That alone would make up for it.
As far as the Flyover goes, the structure for the double track section is going up quickly now, and the bridge for the 3rd main is starting to take form.
As far as the Flyover goes, the structure for the double track section is going up quickly now, and the bridge for the 3rd main is starting to take form.
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neroden
Engineer
More importantly, Amtrak usually stops dead for minutes at the diamond to wait for one (sometimes two) Metra trains; the same happens to NS freight train. (Metra has control and priority at the diamonds) This will therefore cut minutes off the Amtrak runs, as well as off of NS's freight runs. It should really ease congestion-related delays, particularly when Amtrak arrives "out of slot".
The latest video from Audiofyl makes it looks like most of the civil engineering is done, though there's still some to do on the south side. The official schedule has the project done in January, but at this rate I could imagine getting the Metra line onto the flyover by November.
Regarding the rerouting of the St. Louis trains, the current Joliet-Chicago route on CN has the problem that there are *four* major at-grade crossings with other freight lines. The original CREATE plan involved major grade separations at all four locations. However, since CN basically pulled out of CREATE, the state has been looking into less concrete-intensive options which involve giving less money to CN. Accomodating Amtrak on the UP/CN line at Joliet is also expensive (the Joliet station master plan goes to great efforts to do this), while accomodating Amtrak on the Rock Island line is cheap.
I could definitely see the route via the Rock Island line being faster -- or at least, *more reliable* -- even with the backtracking needed from Union Station to the St. Charles Air Line.
Audiofyl has posted a new video of the progress on the Englewood Flyover: Metra Rock Island Englewood Flyover Construction update 8/6/14. Still a lot of landfill to complete on what I think is the southern end (near the start of the video), but they appear to have started to lay a track on the northern end of the flyover.
MisterUptempo
Lead Service Attendant
This brings up two questions-
First, is there a specified time that Amtrak has to notify the public about a change of routing? While Chicago-Union Station and Joliet-Union Station will continue to be used, the Summit station would lose their stop on the Lincoln Service if the Rock Island was used.
Second, with all this talk about re-routing the CHI-JOL segment ahead of schedule, have you heard anything, MetraUPWest, about whether they would designate an existing Metra station to serve as the suburban stop on the route(if so, which one?), or whether they would just run express CHI-JOL? The decision on a suburban station has been part of the Tier II EIS, which won't be complete until some time next year.
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MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
I have not heard which stop will be the suburban stop on the Rock. I know there definitely is going to be one. My guess is that it would be Blue Island- the connection to the Rock Island, Beverly branch, and the Metra Electric there would be very beneficial. That's just my guess, though.
MattW
Conductor
I believe the requirement for terminating service is 180 days of notice.
Blue Island seems like a good suburban stop to me as well.
Blue Island seems like a good suburban stop to me as well.
MisterUptempo
Lead Service Attendant
When I attended a public meeting this last winter about the project, I asked a rep there about the suburban station.
He said that Blue Island had the best transit options, but said that a parking lot, particularly a long-term lot, might need to be "more secure". He mentioned that Midlothian and Oak Forest were the most accessible by car, but that parking could be a problem, especially in Midlothian, and that Tinley Park-80th Ave. had the most to offer in terms of parking and facilities, but that the location was less than ideal.
C
chicagorr
Guest
a reliable witness reports seeing a work train run over the new flyover today. no engine, just a crane and cars. so at least some of the new track has been installed
MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
^Yes, there are now 2 tracks halfway across the flyover.
Audiofyl has posted a new August 20 video of the flyover work: Metra Rock Island Englewood Flyover Construction Update 8/20/14. Looks like it is getting close to having a complete base for the new tracks from end to end.
neroden
Engineer
For a state-funded corridor, there are no federal requirements; service can be changed as soon as the state contract with Amtrak changes. There may be state requirements, I don't know.
(P.S. I checked the most recent version of the US Code at Cornell's LII to verify this. LII's a great operation, needs donations.)
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jis
Permanent Way Inspector
Staff member
Administator
Moderator
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
Moreover, recently STB has said in no uncertain terms that it neither cares nor wants to have any jurisdiction over what state funded rail operations do or don;t do. Which gives the state run operations a huge lot of freedom about how they go about starting, changing and also stopping route operations.
There was a short update on the flyover in a Sun-Times article on plans to improve Chicago Union Station to deal with the crowds: Major changes discussed to expand, renew Union Station.
High-speed route from Chicago to Danville, IL?? Well, anyway, appears that tracks are being or have been put down on the flyover.
MetraUPWest
Service Attendant
They are really plugging along on the flyover. The track is nearly all laid out. Lots of ballast was dumped yesterday. I'm told Pat Quinn wants the project done and the flyover in use before the gubernatorial election.
In regards to Joliet Union Station- the Rock Island trains will be using the new platform should of the UD crossing starting on the 22nd. I haven't heard if this applies to the Heritage as well.
In regards to Joliet Union Station- the Rock Island trains will be using the new platform should of the UD crossing starting on the 22nd. I haven't heard if this applies to the Heritage as well.
neroden
Engineer
It can't actually use that platform, because the Heritage Corridor is coming in off the other line... are the new Heritage Corridor platforms even under construction? They were going to have a tunnel under the tracks on the north side of the crossing.
I don't remember the staging plan for the Joliet Regional Multimodal Transportation Center, or how much of it is funded.
Do you know?
P.S. Last version I found (from 2012) said the Rock Island platform would be done and the trains moved before they even *start* on the Heritage Corridor side; Heritage Corridor would get a temporary platform somewhere to the north during construction. I still can't find final diagrams of the planned track-and-platform layout.
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