Heritage Corridor Metra Could Expand Service

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski is pressing Canadian National Railway to make room for commuter trains, the Sun-Times Media reports.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski is putting pressure on Canadian National Railway to make room for commuter trains. Specifically, Lipinski wants CN to make room for the Heritage Corridor Metra line that runs between Chicago's Union Station and Joliet. The goal is to expand service along the Heritage Corridor to accommodate the increased ridership over the past few years, according to the Sun-Times Media. Lipinski is seeking authorization to increase the number of inbound and outbound trains. Over the past 10 years, ridership has increased from 567,342 to 682,819. Lipinski is asking that two more trains be added to the Heritage Corridor, bringing the total to four inbound and outbound trains on the week days. Read more about Lipinski's efforts to add…

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Court Orders Railway to Cover Costs to Build Underpasses: Report

Canadian National Railway must pay $68 million for construction projects in Aurora and Lynwood.

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Canadian National Railway needs to pay $68 million to cover costs connected with building new underpasses in Aurora and Lynwood, according to a Crain's Chicago Business report. The decision upheld conditions imposed by the Surface Transportation Board after CNR purchased the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railroad in 2008, the report stated. Under the ruling, the report added, CNR must pay 67 percent of the cost of a grade separation at Ogden Avenue near Aurora and 78.5 percent of a grade separation at U.S. Route 30 in Lynwood. CNR tracks run through the Lincoln-Way area, including Frankfort. The village brokered a $3.49 million agreement for the railroad to fund efforts to mitigate the effects on noise, …

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Weekly Wrapup

What Made Headlines From Dec. 26-Jan. 1

The last days of 2010 were filled with New Year's Eve advice, a dog rescue and ilegal snowmobiling.

"Most of my time is spent making beats. That's my hobby, I guess, and my future career. That's how I hope to make my living. Everyone wants a job that's fun to go to." --Cody Knazze, a Lincoln-Way North High School senior who is building a reputation in the music world by creating hooks and beats then leasing and selling them to other musicians. Fine a federal regulatory group imposed on Canadian National Railway, which owns a line that runs through Frankfort. The downtown music shop began the new year with a bluegrass concert and is looking at expanding to space on the second floor of the Trolley Barn. Three area men on snowmobiles were taken into custody after leading Frankfort police on a chase while allegedly illegally driving …

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Canadian National Fined $250K for Misreporting Crossing Delays

The railway, which owns a line that runs through New Lenox, recently reached an agreement with the village.

A federal regulatory group imposed a $250,000 fine last week on Canadian National Railway, which runs trains through the Chicago suburbs, for not reporting about 1,400 delays it had at crossings. The Surface Transportation Board decided that Canadian National knowingly violated orders to report street-crossing blockages in the Chicago area. According to the board, the railroad cited 14 blockages caused by stopped trains in its November and December 2009 reports. But an independent audit conducted by a third-party consultant, HDR Inc., found 1,457 instances during that same period. In 2008, Canadian National acquired the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway, which runs through New Lenox, and a condition is that the railway must report every …

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