Rail agencies to host Third Main Line open house Sept. 21

Union Pacific and Metra invites Geneva residents to an open house to learn more about the future construction of a third railroad line through the city. The Third Main Line open house will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in the auditorium of the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave. Participants can drop in anytime to view project exhibits, ask questions and provide feedback to rail agency officials.

Union Pacific is planning to add a new six-mile stretch of railroad track on the south side of the UP/Metra West Line from West Chicago to Peck Road in Geneva. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2018 and is anticipated to take 18 to 24 months to complete. Railroad officials believe the third rail will remove a bottleneck along the corridor that will alleviate freight and commuter train traffic congestion.

In preparation for construction, ComEd is relocating utility lines along the train tracks this fall. Some of the relocations will require tree trimming and brush clearing on the east, central and west sides of Geneva. A map can be found on the city's website at www.geneva.il.us. Residents who have questions about the ComEd utility relocation can call the company at (630) 576-6200 or 800-Edison-1.

For more information about the Third Main Line project, visit Metra's website www.metrarail.com/upw-third-main. Questions can be submitted via email at UPWThirdMain@metrarr.com.

The City of Geneva also is providing information and updates about the Third Main Line under the "Construction Projects" link on its website.