WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (both D-Ill.) met with Canadian National Railway CEO Tracy Robinson on Tuesday to discuss the railroad’s involvement in the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, the plan to modernize Chicago Union Station and rail routes leading to the station.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) also participated in the meeting by phone.
Durbin, in a press release, described the meeting as “productive,” saying, “we want all stakeholders, including CN, to share the same vision of modernizing Midwest rail for the future, though improvements to Chicago Union Station and its connectivity.” Said Duckworth, “To move forward with the improvements needed at Chicago’s Union Station that will improve rail service and reliability across the Midwest, it’s critical for all parties to work together. … I’ll keep pushing for more funding and to move this forward, because this critical project isn’t just beneficial for Chicago and Illinois, it’s also a win for the Midwest and a win for our entire country.”
According to the press release, CN has been closely engaged in the project and Robinson expressed her willingness to help it advance.
The Hub program is a more than $1.1 billion plan that would involve track realignment on Chicago’s south side and infrastructure improvements near Dowagiac, Mich., as well as improvements at Union Station. Amtrak and its partners have made unsuccessful bids for major federal funding each of the last two years. They sought more than $250 million from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (or Mega) Program in 2022, and an $872.8 million Federal-State Partnership grant last year [see “Chicago Hub project vies for big chunk of federal grant money,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 3, 2023].
Union Station did receive $93.6 million in Federal-State Partnership money for station platform and ventilation-system improvements, as well as a project to repurpose the station’s mail platform, out of use since 2005, to be repurposed for passenger use [see “Chicago Union Station to receive more than $93 million …,” News Wire, Dec. 6, 2023].
Somewhere in all of this talk, I would surmise they are discussing the disposition of the StCharles Air Line.
That is a lot political horsepower for just 1 railroad who is known to be passenger resistant.
CNR would gladly sell the StCAL along with the ex-ICRR diesel line along the southern lakeshore. CNR may be passenger resistant but that would go away with the sale.
Then all that would be needed would be time and money for the efficient new routing for Amtrak trains to the east and to Michigan and to the south along the former ICRR. The way things go these days, time is measured in increments of decades, and money is measured in increments of billions of dollars. It’s a great idea, but the money doesn’t exist and the time frame will be for my young grandchildren. We’ve already lost Amtrak’s first 53 years.
Chicago is still trying to fund the later stages of CREATE. This would be in addition.
Only Mayor Daley II wanted it out of there. There are a few developers who now want it to stick around so they can develop between the South Chicago River and the Lakeshore Convention Center District.
Last I checked CN does night time freight moves between Markham and Glenn on the line. Someone recently complained because some cars with bad trucks came through at 2AM and mode noise. So the city did a local survey about how many times people are awakened by night time freight movements, the response was so small, it was considered a non issue. The consists come through so quietly, no one notices.
At this meeting, did the participants mention at all addressing CN’s 32 axle requirement to activate signals and CN’S requirements for Superliner cars on the Saluki and Illini, cars that would be better served on long distance trains?
So, single-tracking the Michigan Central wasn’t such a great idea after all?