Open house to review upcoming expansion of UP rail line through Geneva
When the Chicago and North Western Railway built a new bridge over the Fox River in 1920, it installed piers wide enough to accommodate four railroad tracks, even though there were only two tracks at the time.
Almost a century later, a third track is being added, in a six-mile stretch from West Chicago through Geneva. Construction is expected to start next summer, according to the Union Pacific Railroad and Metra officials.
You can learn about the project at an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Building A of the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave.
Representatives of Union Pacific and Metra will be available to answer questions.
The third track will be added mostly to the south of the existing tracks, except for a stretch from Kirk Road to the Crissey Avenue bridge.
Geneva is a bottleneck on the line, dropping from three tracks at Kress Road to two. It widens again at Peck Road. The railroad company sometimes holds back eastbound freight trains west of town, to make room for Metra commuter trains during morning and evening rush hours.
More than 60 freight trains use it daily, and about 60 commuter trains on weekdays, according to railroad officials.
The work
Railroad officials expect it will take about 18 months to finish the work.
The at-grade crossings at Third Street and Western Avenue will be closed for four to six weeks at a time but not at the same time. Route 31 will be closed for four to six months while the railroad overpass is enlarged.
The three commuter parking lots on the south side of the tracks at the Geneva Metra station will be closed at times, as the track is added and the lots and a platform are rebuilt. Anticipating the loss of 94 parking spaces there, the city and Metra added a third deck to the city's Third Street parking garage.
Detailed information about the project is available at metrarail.com under "Union Pacific West Line Third Mainline Track Project."
The documents are full of historical detail, maps, traffic detours and environmental information about the area.