CHICAGO — Metra’s Electric District will see some service disruptions July 13-20 to accommodate construction work adding a fourth track in downtown Chicago.
On Saturday, July 13, and Saturday, July 20, Electric service will operate on a Sunday schedule to reduce the number of trains in the construction zone, while midday service will change on the Blue Island Branch July 15-19. On those days, eight midday trains on the branch, four inbound and four outbound, will be cancelled, while three trains will operate as shuttles between Kensington and Blue Island to provide connections to mainline trains. Full schedules for those dates are available here.
The addition of the fourth track between Millennium Station and 11th Place on the Electric Line will accommodate the expansion of South Shore Line commuter service as a result of the recently completed Double Track project [see “ ] as well as the additional trains to come when the West Lake Corridor branch line to Dyer, Ind., begins service in 2025. It will also increase Metra operating flexibility. South Shore’s parent organization, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation Distict, is providing up to $65 million for the work to add the fourth track, as well as the accompanying signal and power-system upgrades.
Here’s a thought —— if (many years and many billions of dolalrs from now) Amtrak trains east and south switch to the ex-IC lakefront line, if there could be convenient transfers either via the South Shore or via the Metra Electric to Van Buren and Millenium.