WOODSTOCK, Ill. — Metra will hold an open house meeting in Woodstock on Thursday, March 21, to discuss plans for a new layover yard for the Union Pacific Northwest Line planned near the community in McHenry County,
The meeting will be Thursday, March 21, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Woodstock Opera House Community Room, 121 W. Van Buren Street.
The planned facility, the Woodstock Layover yard, would consolidate operations from current yards in Barrington and Crystal Lake to support expanded service on the UP Northwest Line. It would save operating costs, bring an estimated 100 new jobs to the area, and attract additional ridership, Metra says.
“Modernizing our operations by building state-of-the-art facilities near Woodstock would bring significant improvements for Metra’s riders, our employees, and the surrounding community,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a press release. “I am thrilled to see the Woodstock Layover Yard Project get underway with the engineering and design phase, and I look forward to working with our stakeholders and partners to deliver improved access, safety, and better train service to Woodstock and McHenry County.”
The meeting will provide details on the project’s objects, the site selection process, potential locations, environmental considerations, and next steps, and provides an opportunity for public input. Funding for initial engineering and design comes from a mix of local, regional, state and federal funds. A start date for construction will depend on the environmental review process, land acquisition, and securing funding.
More information on the project is available here.
The poor citizens of Barrington will be getting some relief from those terrible monster trains they have been whining about.
I will take a stab at it and predict that the most logical place for this yard is NW of Woodstock, SE of Lamb Road. There is an access road to a former quarry, (now a ready-mix vendor) separates the proposed yard from the Bigelow Farm and the owner of the ready-mix.
No nimbys, no neighbors. Plant trees around the outer property to stop any random noise.
Good choice John. It wasn’t that many years ago that they wanted to extend service up to Johnsburg and move the Crystal Lake yard up there only to be hit by naysayers.
Johnsburg? The line ends at the Dow Plant in Ringwood. I can’t see much coming out of that. Glad that didn’t go anywhere.