Metra, UP hear Geneva residents' concerns
Geneva residents whose yards back up to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks west of downtown expressed worries Monday night that adding a third track through town will let UP stack idling freight trains close to their homes.
And city officials want some help finding replacements for the 94 commuter parking spaces that would be lost.
Their comments were made at a presentation by UP and Metra commuter rail officials to the Geneva City Council.
The UP West line from Chicago to Elburn hits a bottleneck just west of West Chicago, dropping down to two tracks until Peck Road, then going back to three tracks. Because of this, UP holds back some eastbound freight trains west of town to make room for commuter trains during morning and evening rush hours. Even so, freight train interference leads to more Metra delays on this line than any other Metra line, said Bill Tupper, Metra's chief operating officer.
The agencies are asking the Federal Transit Administration for permission to put in the third track from Peck east to the Fox River. Cost of the $17 million, 3-mile project would be split by the two, with Metra's portion coming from federal money left over when it extended service to Elburn in 2006.
That money can only be spent on a project near the Elburn service extension, Tupper said. It can't be used for anything east of the river.
Residents and city council officials pointed out, and Tupper agreed, that without widening the line from Geneva to West Chicago, the bottleneck will still happen.
"My real concern with the third rail is that parking trains at, say, Western Avenue, and listening to the throb of the diesels throughout the night," said Chuck Wettergreen, a resident of Southhampton Drive.
Mike Payette, vice president of governmental affairs for UP, said he believes that would only happen in an emergency, or if a train breaks down. Alderman Robert Piper said he would like to get that as a guarantee in writing.
The proposed third track would most likely be built to the south of the existing tracks, taking out the existing platform and rebuilding it further south. That's where the parking would be lost. The south commuter lot is on land owned by UP and leased to the city.
City officials already have met with 14th District Congressman Bill Foster about getting federal money to build a third deck on the city parking garage at Third Street and the railroad. That would add about 180 spaces. Presently, there are several hundred names on a waiting list for commuter parking permits in Geneva.