Metra Improvements
Upgrades Steam Toward Completion

by Craig Barner

Commuter rail service is expected to improve because of $558 million in upgrades on the Metra system in the Chicago area.

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Three of the system's 12 lines are seeing "New Start" improvements: the 52-mi. North Central Service to Antioch, the 36-mi. Union Pacific West to Geneva and the 33-mi. SouthWest Service to Orland Park. Each line terminates in the Loop.

Federal Transit Administration New Start funding was approved in 2001, and construction started in late 2002 or early 2003 depending on the line. State and local sources are also providing financial support.

Increasing demand and the expanding boundaries of the Chicago metropolitan area are driving the work, said Tom Miller, senior media relations specialist with Chicago-based Metra.

As part of the project, the SWS was extended about 12 mi. to Manhattan, and the UPW is being lengthened 8 mi. to Elburn from Geneva. The NCS line will not get longer but will receive additional track.

The SWS route will expand from 16 to 30 weekday trains, and the NCS will grow from 10 to 22 weekday trains, said Audrey Renteria, Metra media relations specialist. The busy UPW line will not grow beyond the existing 59 weekday trains.

Ridership is also expected to surge in part because of improved service.

Renteria said the SWS is projected to go from 6,843 weekday boardings in 1999, the most recent figure, to 18,500 boardings by 2008, and the NCS is expected to increase from 4,500 boardings to 12,200.

These projects involve areas that are experiencing significant population growth and economic development and are projected to keep growing well into the 21st Century.

The SWS project was completed in December, said Gary Pearson, project manager of Chicago-based F.H. Paschen/SN Nielsen, the general contractor.

The others are expected to be done by year-end.

Adding Track

Each service runs on track shared with freight trains. Second or third track that is parallel to existing lines will be added for improved efficiency.

The UPW is getting third track between Geneva and Elburn. Thirteen mi. of second track will be added to the NCS and 3 mi. to the SWS lines. Some freight trains exceed a mile in length, and the additional capacity will allow for a passing line.

Nine signal bridges are being installed on the UPW because of the new track, said Chuck Straiton, manager of special projects in Elburn with Omaha-based Union Pacific. The added track means additional safety measures are required.

"Trains can be parked on both [outside] tracks, and the middle train wouldn't be able to see any kind of signal," Straiton said. "With two tracks you have outside signals, and with three or more tracks you have to have signal bridges."

The projects also hope to relieve parking and pedestrian congestion at the stations and ease bottlenecks on the lines.

Stations or platforms are being added, expanded or upgraded.

Six terminals - one each in Chicago, Chicago Ridge and Manhattan and three in Orland Park - are new on the SWS line, Pearson said. On the NCS line, nine terminals are being renovated, said Jamie Rich, project manager with Elgin-based IHC Construction Cos., the general contractor. Stations in Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Rosemont and Grayslake are new.

There are new terminals in La Fox and Elburn on the UPW line, said David Bergstrom, project manager of Park Ridge-based Ragnar Benson Inc., a member of the Benson Rausch Reyes Joint Venture, the general contractor.

By 2008, more than 800 passengers a day are projected to board at each of the new UPW stations with parking.

"I've actually had residents come to the trailer and ask if they could buy a parking space in La Fox," said Dan Jordan, project engineer with Ragnar Benson.

Maintenance yards are being added in Manhattan for the SWS and Elburn for the UPW.

A time-consuming train move from West Chicago to Elburn will be eliminated on the UPW due to the yard there, Miller said.

The existing West Chicago yard requires empty trains to shuttle west 3 mi. to Geneva before starting their morning trips east into the city. This reverse move against traffic flow is further complicated by track restrictions in the area that is believed to be one of the busiest freight corridors in the United States.

Tricky Trackwork

The railroads themselves have done the mainline trackwork - setting the ties, limestone ballast and subballast and rails - because they own the lines.

On the UPW extension, the laborious trackwork included setting an estimated 63,000 concrete ties, Straiton said.

The contracting team performed the trackwork in the Elburn yard, which included laying 30,000 tons of subballast, 36,000 tons of ballast and 4 mi. of track, Bergstrom said.

The intricate trackwork process is carefully orchestrated to ensure that it is done properly.

The process starts with laying a 6-in. layer of limestone subballast that is modified to have a low number of small pieces, Jordan said. The rail is placed on the ties, and the two are attached via clips.

A 2-in. level of ballast is dumped on the track, and a tamping machine lifts the rail above the ballast. A laser and target are used to align the track properly.

The rail is unclipped and tensioned with heat to keep it straight, Bergstrom said. "If you're in cold conditions like this, you have to heat the rail so it's a certain temperature," he added. The rail is reclipped, and another load of ballast is placed.

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