I know the ex-GM&O is owned by CN up to about Joliet, and then after that it is owned by the UP. My question is, other than the Plaines power plant coal train, does the UP have any plans for that line? I was told that the UP owns it solely to keep the KCS from reaching Chicago. According to the map, it is a route to Springfield and St.Louis, and also east to Mobile. As far as I know the only UP traffic on the line is the coal train to the power plant, and an occasional container train. And, as far as CN traffic goes, they only use it to switch out the refineries in Lemont/Romeoville, correct. Oh yeah, and then there is the Amtrak traffic. Does anyone else use the line farther south, or does the UP traffic mainly stay downstate?? Just curious…
On my various trips on Amtrak to Springfield and St. Louis along this line I see relatively little U.P. freight traffic which is just as well as it would no doubt interfere with the Amtrak traffic on this single track line. I have seen a few intermodals but mostly mixed freight and shorter trains at that.
UP really doesn’t use the line very much from Joliet to Bloomington, but from Blomington to St. Louis, there are 2-4 trains, a local from Bloomington to Springfield, and trains MBNAS (Bllomington-Normal to Gateway Yard) and MASBN (its counterpart).
Whatever trains use the ex-CNW line from Nelson to South Pekin and beyond to St. Louis now go to Springfield (via I&M?) and south from there over the ex-GM&O.
UP actually inherited the former Alton main line from SP. Southern Pacific set up a separate subsidiary (SPCSL Corp.) to purchase the line to get around some legal restrictions related to traffic routings.