Union Pacific plans tie, bridge work along three Metra served lines in November

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Metra

Union Pacific will be performing track work along three of Metra's commuter lines throughout November.

On the UP West Line to Elburn, workers will be replacing insulated joints throughout the line. Metra notes that wear and tear can cause signal failures that disrupt rail traffic and delay trains. Welders will also be out across the line making repairs to the track and work on the Salt Creek Bridge in Villa Park that began in October will continue.

UP workers also will replace more than 11,000 ties on the UP Northwest Line’s McHenry branch and replace part of the rail and ties where the line crosses the Canadian National tracks in Barrington. Smaller tie replacement projects also are planned for locations between the Ogilvie Transportation Center and the Clybourn Station and between Mount Prospect and Barrington.

The UP North Line to Kenosha will see approximately 1,500 ties replace between Evanston Main Street and Ravinia stations and between Lake Forest and Waukegan, as well as bridge repairs to the structure south of Ravenswood Station. Metra said the UP North Line work is expected to impact riders the greatest due to the limited number of locations where trains can cross between tracks, which means longer single track operations that could cause increased delays.

“Every effort is made to inconvenience as few of our customers as possible by scheduling work during our midday off-peak hours and on weekends,” said Metra Executive Director and CEO Don Orseno. “This is the last opportunity to get the tracks in the best condition possible before winter weather sets in and projects like these allow us to maintain the service speeds and frequency that our riders rely upon.”

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