Work delayed on high-speed rail near Normal

NORMAL, Ill. - State transportation officials say work on the infrastructure for high-speed rail in central Illinois has been delayed until spring.

The timetable has been pushed back because of inclement weather, according to Paris Ervin, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation. The work was originally expected to begin this fall in Normal. Instead, crews will upgrade siding tracks, improve rail crossings and install four-quad and pedestrian gates next year.

A "positive train control," which sends a signal to the train if a vehicle is on the track and shuts it down if the engineer doesn't react, will also be installed in the middle of the crossing.

The delay will also allow work to be done "during the off-school season," Mark Davis, a spokesman for the Union Pacific Railroad, told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph.

Normal Public Works Director Wayne Aldrich said the new timetable will probably work better with the city's plan to construct an overhead walkway at Uptown Station. If the two projects are carried out at about the same time, money will be saved because the town and the railroad can share flaggers, he said.

Bids could be submitted this month and awarded at the beginning of 2015, Aldrich said.