Siemens Caltrans/IDOT Venture design, engineering, testing and delivery (2012-1Q 2024)

[Metra Electric Rider]

Is there really enough room at the Schiller Park Yard? And would it be affordable for Amtrak or Siemens? There are the empty Nippon-Sharyo and Talgo plants (assuming that they haven't been snapped up already) in Illinois and Wisconsin respectively.

 

[Steve4031]

The most logical place for a new Midwest central facility would be next to O'Hare Airport, on the site of the ex-CN, ex-Wisconsin Central, ex-Soo Schiller Park Yard. All Midwest Corridor trains from the east and south should terminate at O'Hare not only to serve the busiest airport in the country, but to serve the 2 million people and huge number of workers in the northwest suburbs (more than in almost all Midwestern cities). Last I knew CN had vacated the yard. Running time to CUS is now 27 minutes on Metra express trains and, with some investment, can be reduced less than 20.

A great idea. And since these trains could switch ends easily they can go into cus and then continue north towards Milwaukee.

 

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A great idea. And since these trains could switch ends easily they can go into cus and then continue north towards Milwaukee.

Problem: CUS is a stub-end station. Only a few through-tracks available and currently I believe only one with a platform. How do you guys propose fixing that?

We’re also talking about moving a large part of Amtrak’s operations from CUS to a new terminal west of the city. At that point, you are now dividing resources between two stations and will have to hire more staff to man both stations. Not a good use of resources from a business standpoint. You can operate something akin to the “Heathrow Express” between CUS and the O’Hare Transfer for far less. No stops in between, just direct between CUS and the airport.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

O'Hare Express?

But Elon Musk is already building that.... Oh, wait... Crickets...

 

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O'Hare Express?

But Elon Musk is already building that.... Oh, wait... Crickets...

yeah somethin’ tells me that Mr. Musk won’t be makin’ much good on that promise, considering the ride is “terrible” and the fact that they haven’t started yet.

 

[Lake Country]

Is there really enough room at the Schiller Park Yard? And would it be affordable for Amtrak or Siemens? There are the empty Nippon-Sharyo and Talgo plants (assuming that they haven't been snapped up already) in Illinois and Wisconsin respectively.

Nippon Sharyo is a good possibility, a little far out... Better yet Progress Rail in LaGrange -rumor is that it is closing. Heavy machine shop, large multiple building facility. VERY close in (15m) with direct access to BNSF and CN both are on Illinois Corridor lines which will employ the new Midwest Coalition train sets on the Chi-STl line and Chi-Qcy. Google Map

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Of course, if Siemens is doing the maint., building their own plant, they might want additional assembly capacity and might want to build a ground up plant/facility somewhere. Hopefully in the City of Chicago of course...

(and that might also get them a nod with filling Metra's new rolling stock dreams too)

 

[jis]

My suspicion is that the maintenance facility for Midwest Siemens rolling stock will resemble a slightly upscaled version of the Brightline facilities in WPB and the upcoming one in Orlando International Airport. It will not be a manufacturing plant. That will continue to be in Sacramento with additional expansion. There is no logic to having two manufacturing plants, both being in labor protected states,in the US, given the current projected order volume. A single manufacturing facility should be quite adequate for manufacturing several hundred locomotives and thousand passenger cars a year. We are unlikely to get to that kind of volume anytime soon.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

My suspicion is that the maintenance facility for Midwest Siemens rolling stock will resemble a slightly upscaled version of the Brightline facilities in WPB and the upcoming one in Orlando International Airport. It will not be a manufacturing plant. That will continue to be in Sacramento with additional expansion. There is no logic to having two manufacturing plants, both being in labor protected states,in the US, given the current projected order volume. A single manufacturing facility should be quite adequate for manufacturing several hundred locomotives and thousand passenger cars a year. We are unlikely tog et to that kind of volume anytime soon.

Dangnabbit you're dashing my unrealistic dreams for Chicago's greatness! But I think you're right.

 

[Lake Country]

So A new maintenance facility is realistic, and should be under consideration very soon since the new cars begin to roll off Jan 2020. Maintenance facility is independent of Amtrak since the locos and cars will be owned by the Coalition states of MI, MO and IL.

 

[jis]

So A new maintenance facility is realistic, and should be under consideration very soon since the new cars begin to roll off Jan 2020. Maintenance facility is independent of Amtrak since the locos and cars will be owned by the Coalition states of MI, MO and IL.

Unless of course the Midwest States choose Amtrak as the manager of such a facility.

The Brightline facility is managed by Brightline with a few resident Siemens folks there.

 

[Anthony V]

Nippon Sharyo is a good possibility, a little far out... Better yet Progress Rail in LaGrange -rumor is that it is closing. Heavy machine shop, large multiple building facility. VERY close in (15m) with direct access to BNSF and CN both are on Illinois Corridor lines which will employ the new Midwest Coalition train sets on the Chi-STl line and Chi-Qcy. Google Map

Using the former Nippon Sharyo plant in Rochelle would require that Amtrak deadhead trains between Chicago and Rochelle. Of course, a new service between Chicago and Clinton or Cedar Rapids, Iowa could be started, or the California Zephyr could be rerouted over the UP. (Either option would serve as a hospital train to ferry equipment to and from Rochelle). However, I doubt UP would be too keen on any new regular passenger service operating on their busy transcontinental line, at least without major capital improvements. As you mentioned, using the Progress Rail shops in La Grange (if it closes) would be a better option as it's much closer to Chicago and there is already Amtrak service through La Grange. Rochelle would be the second choice if rumors of Progress Rail's closing are false.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Hopefully the new cars will enable the Quad Cities and proposed Rockford services to come to fruition - are those routes any better (I can't remember what was proposed).

 

[Lake Country]

So Amtrak will have to bid on the work..just like Virgin, Capital Corridor, IP and all the others. And Amtrak will have to divulge the cost of running corridor service without the cover of LD overhead. Should be interesting..

 

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So Amtrak will have to bid on the work..just like Virgin, Capital Corridor, IP and all the others. And Amtrak will have to divulge the cost of running corridor service without the cover of LD overhead. Should be interesting..

Bid on work for what exactly? New shops? New service?

Did you post in the wrong thread?

 

[ScouseAndy]

Don't let Virgin Trains anywhere near your rail network! Awful company, prices have quadrupled n the UK on virgin West coach trains, they are now refusing to honour pensions, payments to the UK tax payer have been let or in the case of Virgin East Coast never materialised so they had that franchise stripped off them.

They have now been banned from bidding for the next franchises and whilst the WC franchise still has a

 

[jis]

It should be noted that neither Virgin Trains nor Virgin East Coast are coming anywhere near the US. Both are British consortia, one owned 51% by the Virgin Group and the other owned only 10% by the Virgin Group. The balance is owned by Stagecoach or others. Virgin Train ceases to exist mid 2020, and Virgin Trains East Coast is already dead. Both were created to handle a specific TOC franchise, and are coterminus with the franchise.

In case of Brightline the Virgin Group's financial involvement is of the order of 10-15% and the management remains entirely that of Brightline. Virgin Group gets one seat on the Board for their troubles, and Brightline gets to use the Virgin brand as in Virgin Trains USA, and use Branson as their advertising monkey, for what it is worth (apparently quite a bit when it comes to selling bonds ).

It should also be noted that it is Stagecoach that has been banned from bidding on any franchise. They were 50% of the planned new consortium to bid on West Coast plus HSR2. That consortium as planned was to be 50% Stagecoach, 30% SNCF and 20% Virgin Group. Now it is pretty much dead.

And all this has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this thread.

 

[John Bredin]

Just rode past the Schiller Park yard on a Metra North Central train, and while it's not remotely full, it IS being used by Canadian Pacific. I saw a couple of engines, a smattering of freight cars (tankers, intermodal flats), and a container yard with several containers stacked up. The latter is consistent with the last time I drove past/under the yard on Lawrence Avenue, where a sign on the south side of the street just east of the underpass marks the road entrance to CP's Schiller Park Intermodal Ramp.

 

[NES28]

Problem: CUS is a stub-end station. Only a few through-tracks available and currently I believe only one with a platform. How do you guys propose fixing that?

We’re also talking about moving a large part of Amtrak’s operations from CUS to a new terminal west of the city. At that point, you are now dividing resources between two stations and will have to hire more staff to man both stations. Not a good use of resources from a business standpoint. You can operate something akin to the “Heathrow Express” between CUS and the O’Hare Transfer for far less. No stops in between, just direct between CUS and the airport.

Certainly there should be something like Heathrow Express. But the combination of the Northwest suburbs and O'Hare are a big enough market to justify extending intercity service too, so passengers from beyond Chicago would not need to transfer to get to the Midwest's primary international airport. The Chicago Union Station Master Plan Study showed how the unused Mail Platform, located south of the Union Station concourse, could be modified as two 2 island platforms, with perhaps both of them connected to the through tracks.

 

[Seaboard92]

You already have Metra to the airport. I’ll give it that service isn’t as frequent as we would like but it does exist. In fact I’ve used it every time I’ve flown out of ORD

 

[Tadman]

You already have Metra to the airport. I’ll give it that service isn’t as frequent as we would like but it does exist. In fact I’ve used it every time I’ve flown out of ORD

I find CTA's blue line much easier due to frequency and the in-airport station. That assumes that one is going downtown, not out to the suburbs.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

While not exactly on topic, I'd highly recommend against taking Metra to the airport at the moment due to the shuttle/people mover situation - it's down and getting around the airport (especially to/from international terminal is a total disaster) is by shuttles. Also, if you are transferring between international and domestic - fly via another airport unless it's unavoidable and allow LOTS of time between flights. You can't walk between the international terminal and the domestic terminals.

 

[grover5995]

The most logical place for a new Midwest central facility would be next to O'Hare Airport, on the site of the ex-CN, ex-Wisconsin Central, ex-Soo Schiller Park Yard. All Midwest Corridor trains from the east and south should terminate at O'Hare not only to serve the busiest airport in the country, but to serve the 2 million people and huge number of workers in the northwest suburbs (more than in almost all Midwestern cities). Last I knew CN had vacated the yard. Running time to CUS is now 27 minutes on Metra express trains and, with some investment, can be reduced less than 20.

 

[grover5995]

The most logical place for a new Midwest central facility would be next to O'Hare Airport, on the site of the ex-CN, ex-Wisconsin Central, ex-Soo Schiller Park Yard. All Midwest Corridor trains from the east and south should terminate at O'Hare not only to serve the busiest airport in the country, but to serve the 2 million people and huge number of workers in the northwest suburbs (more than in almost all Midwestern cities). Last I knew CN had vacated the yard. Running time to CUS is now 27 minutes on Metra express trains and, with some investment, can be reduced less than 20.

CrossRail Chicago is a plan that calls for upgrading MILW West line and eliminating many street crossings. It also includes direct connection to St. Charles Airline south of CUS which would allow direct service between O'Hare/Union Station and McCormick Place-U of Chicago. Basing Midwest Corridor trains at O'Hare would open up considerable capacity south of CUS for servicing long-distance trains.

 

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CrossRail Chicago is a plan that calls for upgrading MILW West line and eliminating many street crossings. It also includes direct connection to St. Charles Airline south of CUS which would allow direct service between O'Hare/Union Station and McCormick Place-U of Chicago. Basing Midwest Corridor trains at O'Hare would open up considerable capacity south of CUS for servicing long-distance trains.

Don’t forget that Metra will also be moving the Southwest Service to LaSalle Street in the near future. I haven’t heard if that move is designed to free up space for Metra in Chicago South then but that could also add capacity.

I’m still wary of what would essentially be having two bases of operation for Amtrak’s operations in Chicago. Crew facilities would have to be built in the station as well as some sort of ORD-CUS connector because some trains won’t be able to go to CUS if they’re based out of ORD. For example, the Hiawatha. If you move all Midwest corridor trains to ORD, they can’t stop at CUS because they’d have to backtrack to O’Hare. Kind of negates the whole purpose. The same can be said for the new services that are supposedly starting in Moline and Rockford: they’d have to pass the airport to serve CUS, then backtrack.