Public Input Sought On Addition Of UP West Line Track

GENEVA, IL -- The Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Metra is inviting the public to an open house regarding the construction of a third mainline track on the UP West Line from Kress Road in West Chicago to Peck Road in Geneva. The open house on Sept. 21 will allow the public to view exhibits of the planned improvements, talk with project staff and provide comments, according to a news release. The public may attend the open house, which will be held in the auditorium at the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave. in Geneva, anytime between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

The UP-W Third Mainline Project is meant to remove a critical bottleneck along the UP West Line where only two tracks currently exist, according to the news release. Metra officials said that when the third track is completed, it will provide a variety of benefits to Metra passengers, UP freight operations and local residents by reducing motorist wait times at grade crossings, decreasing commuter and freight train delays, decreasing idling freight trains and enhancing overall safety.

The construction of the third track will occur primarily within the existing right of way for Union Pacific. It will include improvements to current at-grade railroad crossings at 3rd Street and Western Avenue in Geneva, along with improvements to Route 31 (1st Street).

The project also includes reconstruction of three existing commuter parking lots on the south side of the Geneva Station to accommodate the addition of the third track, according to the news release. The parking deck at the Geneva Station was recently expanded to accommodate this project.

Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2018 and is estimated to take about 19 months to complete. For both the West (West Chicago to Geneva) and East (River Forest to Melrose Park) sections of the final phase of the project, the total design and construction cost of over $100 million will be jointly funded by UP and Metra through grants received from the Illinois Department of Transportation, according to the news release.

The addition of the third mainline track is the fourth and final phase of the overall UP-W Line Improvement Project. Previous phases included safety upgrades, new crossovers so trains can switch tracks and an upgraded rail signal system.

For additional information, visit the project website at www.metrarail.com/upw-third-main.