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Post Info TOPIC: Study finds more trains, longer waits in Springfield’s future


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Study finds more trains, longer waits in Springfield’s future
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Study finds more trains, longer waits in Springfields future

(The following story by Tim Landis appeared on the State Journal-Register website on April 8, 2010.)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Tired of waiting for that freight train to pass? Too bad. Its going to get worse.

The time Springfield motorists spend waiting on trains each day will nearly triple in the next decade based on projected increases in rail traffic, an initial analysis of Springfields three major rail corridors has concluded.

A study project manager said Thursday trains tie up local drivers for total of 230 hours a day on average now. That figure is expected to rise to 600 hours in 2020 and probably even longer, because the estimates are based on existing vehicle traffic, train speeds and train length.

As you know, vehicle traffic will increase and there also are likely to be longer trains, Jim Moll of Hanson Professional Services told a committee of the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission.

Moll gave committee members a glimpse of a report that will be presented at a public meeting in Springfield on April 20.
Hanson is three months into a $4 million study that is being paid for by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Findings are due in the spring of 2011.

Counting cars

Based on meetings with the three major rail carriers the Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and Canadian National railroads the analysis projects that the number of trains traveling through Springfield will rise from 35 now to 72 by 2020.

The biggest increase, from 25 to 40 trains per day, is expected to be on the UP/Third Street line, which carries both freight and Amtrak traffic.

Moll said Hanson based the vehicle-delay projections on 24-hour counts of trains and train cars on each of the lines in December and January. Hanson employees also tracked the number of minutes motorists had to wait for trains.

Were looking at a dramatic increase in delays, and that is one of the major imperatives for trying to find a solution, said Moll.

The report found faster trains or increased capacity could reduce the delays, especially on Third Street. But Moll said doing nothing is not an option.

Were going to get more trains. Our goal is to find a way to accommodate them, he said.

What next?

City and Sangamon County officials pushed for the study after the Illinois Department of Transportation concluded the Union Pacific/Third Street line would be the logical route for high-speed passenger trains between Chicago and St. Louis.

Local officials believe the analysis will find 10th Street is a better alternative for consolidated traffic, possibly also including trains that now use 19th Street.

The decision was made at the beginning of this process that were not going to be able to stop high-speed rail. The decision we have to make is where the corridor is going to be, said county administrator Brian McFadden.

McFadden, who also is a member of the study steering committee, said the group is on schedule. He said the key now is to share information with the public.

Its encouraging. We know we had a very tight timeframe to get this done. So far, they are well within that timeframe, he said.

Moll said the railroad companies also have cooperated, within limits.

They are willing to cooperate in this study, but they have made it very clear they are not going to go along with anything that hurts their financial or competitive positions, and thats probably a reasonable position to take, Moll said.

* * *

Open house

The first public open house to discuss the Springfield rail corridor study will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Information and displays on the initial study findings will be available, and public comments will be taken.

Final results of the study are scheduled for release next spring

Study highlights

Projected increase in daily traffic by company and rail line, 2010-2020:

* Union Pacific/Third Street 10 passenger and five freight; 18 passenger, 22 freight

* Norfolk Southern/10th Street 16 freight; 24 freight

* Canadian National/19th Street 4 freight; 8 freight

Average daily vehicle traffic by rail line

* Third Street: 130,300

* 10th Street: 81,800

* 19th Street: 60,000

Average minutes of vehicle delays daily (total all vehicles, all crossings)

2010: 13,800 minutes

Projected 2020: 36,000 minutes (based on current vehicle numbers and trains)

Friday, April 09, 2010



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