Gary, Ind., airport wins key agreement for rail deal

Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes mit Sortiertechnik aus The Gary/Chicago International Airport has won a key nod from CSX Corp. that will open the way for moving railroad tracks that block the expansion of its main runway, the Northwest Indiana Times reports. CSX has agreed to do design work that would allow the reroute of tracks belonging to Canadian National Railway on to CSX's own right-of-way on the north side of Chicago Avenue, according to Gary/Chicago International Airport Interim Director Steve Landry.

That design work, capped
at $300,000, is a key step toward a global agreement with three railroads that
would allow the Canadian National Tracks to be shifted from the northwest end
of the main runway toward Cline Avenue and then rerouted along Chicago Avenue,
Landry said. Both the CSX tracks and the Canadian National tracks would be
carried across Industrial Avenue on a new overpass, eliminating the current CSX
at-grade crossing on Industrial Avenue.

The design work will be
done in-house by CSX and paid for out funds the airport is receiving from the
Federal Aviation Administration for its runway expansion, Landry said.

Landry told the board of
the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority that the agreement
represents "a milestone" in the airport’s long quest to move Canadian
National railroad tracks that block runway expansion. Those tracks formerly
belonged to the EJ&E railway.

Landry said the airport
hopes to have an agreement inked with CSX, Canadian National and Norfolk
Southern by the end of this month that will allow the moving of the Canadian
National Tracks.

CSX will design a
division of its 150-foot wide right-of-way on the north side of Chicago Avenue
so that half will be dedicated to the Canadian National tracks, Landry said.

The FAA has already
approved funds that would pay about half the estimated $50-million price tag
for moving the Canadian National tracks. The RDA has signaled it will provide
additional funds if the airport makes progress in several key areas of its
expansion plan.