Metra readies fix for UP West line

Commuters traveling along Metra's Union Pacific West Line should expect faster, safer trips as a result of an ambitious improvement plan, officials pledged Friday.

Metra and Union Pacific Railroad are splitting the cost of a $112 million upgrade. The project includes adding a third track to segments in Geneva and Melrose Park, installing caution signs at stations when trains are coming and providing safety gates to prevent accidents.

the UP West line between Chicago and Elburn is among Metra's busiest. At the same time, Chicago is a crucial crossroads for UP, with about 25 percent of its freight traveling through the region.

UP ends up idling freights about six hours a day during peak periods to allow Metra trains quick passage.

With three tracks in place throughout the line and upgraded signals, "trains will be blocking crossings less," UP Executive Vice President of Operations Dennis Duffy said.

"There'll be less fuel consumption, trains can move at a faster pace, less conflicts and more reliable service."

Expanding the railway in Geneva has drawn concerns from residents living near UP right-of-way where the third track will be built. And the city is worried about losing parking spaces because of the construction.

"The No. 1 concern seems to be the noise of sitting freight trains," said Metra Director Caryl Van Overmeiren, who represents Kane County.

Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano said the agency was committed to working with the community to resolve differences.

What won't likely cause disagreements, however, are plans to make stations safer for travelers. Metra will install train advance warning systems, which will be the first of their kind in America, officials said.

There's also new designs in store for walkways, gates and fences to keep pedestrians out of harm's way.

The upgrades should result in a 50 percent drop in delays for passenger and freight trains and should pave the way for future expansions involving additional trains, Pagano said.

The work will be completed in phases, starting this spring with station work in Maywood, Melrose Park, Bellwood and Berkeley. The second stage will be in mid-2009 at Winfield and Geneva.

The final phase is expected to occur in 2010 involving Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, College Avenue and Wheaton stations.

Metra will pay for its share using federal capital funds. The agency has about $9 million in savings from a previous construction project and has budgeted $28 million in its current budget and $20 million next year.

The tracks once belonged to the Chicago & North Western Railway. "This was the system UP inherited," Pagano said.