Southeast Service.

[jesi2282]

I saw that METRA wants to make a new line called Southeast Service which will run from LaSalle St. Station to Barmoral Park via Rock Island to Gresham Station, after Gresham the SES would switch to Union Pacific/CSX tracks to Barmoral Park, METRA will also buy new train cars to run the route. Does anyone else know about this?

[trainman8119]

I have not heard about this routing, but there is some sort of proposal on the table about new service to the southeast. This was brought up when the south end felt slighted when the STAR line was proposed. I was always under the impression that something was going to be done with a connection or extension of the Metra Electric. In any event, this is in the early stages of planning, is not high on the priority list, and I wouldn't count on seeing much of anything for 10-20 years.

[artthouwill]

I saw that METRA wants to make a new line called Southeast Service which will run from LaSalle St. Station to Barmoral Park via Rock Island to Gresham Station, after Gresham the SES would switch to Union Pacific/CSX tracks to Barmoral Park, METRA will also buy new train cars to run the route. Does anyone else know about this?

I wondered about this routing, why after Gresham and why not just past Pershing Rd for the switch (unless it has to cross another set of RR tracks). I don't think there are any plans to have an intermodal station with CTA at 115th or 130th as part of the CTA's Red Line extension proposal.

I really do wonder about the timing and scheduling of trains on this proposed route. Any far south sider and south suburbanite can tell you that the UP tracks are heavily used, and there are only two tracks. Mix in the crossing of another two sets of RR tracks in Riverdale/Dolton operated by other RRs, and the potential for delay trains exceeds those on the HC, and that is not including the rail yards to the south and west of this intersection. Will Metra agree to build additional mains? That would add a significant cost to this proposed line. Would Metra or someone consider building a flyover in this area?

How much of an impact will the Red Line extension have on potential ridership in Dolton and South Holland when the nearby Pace routes would be routed into the new Red Line terminal at 130th?

[Busjack]

I wonder whether any of these New Starts are "on track," given that the only things we have heard in the past couple of years is opposition in Skokie to the "local preferred alternative" for the Yellow Line extension. In particular, it doesn't appear like the Metra Connects site has been updated since late 2008, and while there are some milestones for 2009, no indication that they have been met.

Of course, on the STAR line front, the only thing one reads in the press is that the Tollway Authority is ruminating whether to rebuild the Northwest Tollway and whether to do so leaving a median for transit.

[artthouwill]

From the Chicagobus.org home page:

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Four-Hurt-After-Train-Hits-Two-Cars-on-South-Side-116147309.html

The relevance to this topic is this is part of the routing for the proposed Southeast service where the route switches from the Rock Island and heads to the Union Pacific tracks. Continuous malfunctioning signals at a crossing on a major street is not a good thing.