Our Projects
Clearing Main Lines
Location
| North Limit | W 69th St. |
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| South Limit | W 76th St. |
| East Limit | S St. Louis Ave. |
| West Limit | S Harlem Ave. |
Daily Trains Affected
Clearing Yard processes 25 inbound and 30 outbound trains per day. |
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Communities Benefited:
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Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Cook County
Benefits
Project EW1 will increase speed and efficiency of through trains traversing Clearing Yard. The new main track will enable trains to travel on the new route at 25 mph along the south side of the yard. Yard capacity improvements to an interlocking at the east end of Clearing Yard will allow for multiple simultaneous train movements.
The additional capacity of this new corridor will more evenly distribute trains throughout the regional rail network and reduce the burden on the congested existing corridors (Beltway and Western Avenue). In addition, the new corridor provides critical redundancy in the regional rail network by providing a new east-west route through the region. In the event of maintenance work or service disruptions along the existing corridors, this route will allow freight train flows to be maintained.
Scope of Work
Project EW1 will construct two new 4.8-mile main tracks around the south side of Clearing Yard, in Bedford Park and Chicago between Harlem Avenue and St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. The project will install crossovers and turnouts at the CP West Subdivision, CP Central and CP East End. This project will provide three new control points that include the installation of a series of crossovers.
Project EW1 includes yard improvements to offset the loss of yard capacity due to the new main lines. Yard work includes realignment of switching lead tracks, run-though tracks, tracks leading to the hump used to classify cars, and construction of additional departure yard tracks. All of this work will be within the existing railroad right-of-way.
Project Status
| Phase I | Completed |
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| Phase II | Underway |
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| Phase III | Not Started |
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Project Location Map
Project outlines and locations shown above are approximations and do not necessarily represent final design and construction limits.