THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008
Train Blocks Tracks For Half-Hour
Des Plaines' struggles with trains, planes and automobiles doesn't seem to be letting up even though the price of fuel continues to skyrocket and people consider other modes of transportation.
Last week, an idle freight train in Des Plaines caused the blood of motorists to boil when it didn't move an inch for at least 30 minutes. Traffic on Dempster/Thacker, Algonquin, Oakton Street and Wolf Road was at a complete halt for that length of time. Ald. Laura Murphy (3d), who talked about the matter at Monday night's City Council meeting, said the stopped train made many parents and children late for baseball games at Central School.
Motorists who couldn't wait indefinitely, had to find alternative routes.
Murphy said that City Engineer Tim Oakley contacted the Canadian National and Union Pacific railroads this week to determine what caused the problem. They responded that nothing out of the ordinary was reported.
"People need to call 911 when this happens," said Murphy. "Doing so gives the city leverage with the railroads," she added alluding to public pressure.
"A couple of weeks ago I was on the Golf Road underpass (near the Cumberland Circle) when a train was stopped at Golf and Wolf," said Mayor Tony Arredia yesterday (Tuesday). "I was stuck a good half hour. I called the police and they said train cars had traffic blocked all the way south to Howard Street. We complain about this all the time, but what can you do."
Murphy stressed that public pressure may be the only means to prevent long delays. She also said that she might call federal legislators to see if they can take action. The federal government regulates U.S. rail traffic.
All indications show that more traffic delays caused by trains may increase in Des Plaines in the years ahead.
Current Metra projections show that the Northwest Line that passes through the downtown area carries 63 trains per day. Depending on the securing of federal and state funding, that number could increase to 74 in the distant future.
On the North Central Line, traffic was increased two years ago from 16 to 22 trains per day. A Metra spokesman said that line is about at its saturation point due to heavy freight traffic and that added commuter traffic is unlikely at this time.
A second track was added a few years ago to portions of the North Central line that links Antioch on the north with Rosemont to the south and bisects Des Plaines.
One potential respite concerns the Canadian National's proposed purchase of the EJ&E Railroad.
If that occurs, 17 fewer freight trains will travel through Des Plaines every day because they will be diverted to rail lines to the west and north. Numerous communities northwest of Des Plaines are fighting that purchase, however.