Has anyone heard of any plans by CN to add an intermodal terminal to the Chicago area, particularly along the old EJ&E Route? Seems there would be Price Rupert to Chicago traffic to try to capture from BNSF or UP which currently off-loads at Long Beach.
Thx!
I checked cn.ca and couldn’t find a news story. An intermodal facility would make sense, though, especially for the reason you give. Also, goods coming from Western Canada or the Great Plains can use the ex-EJ&E to connect with the old IC mainline from Chicago down to New Orleans. Chicago would be a marvelous “hinge” for all that.
I thought the plan was to expand the intermodal facilities at Markham (moving the remaining manifest business to Kirk).
I would agree with that. My insider say’s all cars needing switching will go to Kirk in Gary and all other yards will be shut down eventually. I guess that means Joliet also which could be converted but is off the interstate. Another option would be to use the new BNSF intermodal yard south of Joliet that is huge and the state is planning an interstate extension to service it that will connect with I-55 and I-57. I doubt I will live to see it built but the plans do exist.
That’s what I heard too.
Homewood will become entirely a intermodal terminal when all the changes on the EJ&E are done. All other freight that currently uses Homewood will be moved to Kirk Yard. Freight from Glenn, Hawthorne and Schiller Park will be moved to Joliet. Glenn is supposed to primarly handle locals, while Hawthorne and Schiller will drastically reduce in size, if they don’t close entirely.
Unless I’m missing something, Kirk appears to be in a poor location to serve as CN’s major yard in the Chicago area. It would be located at the end of a branch running north from Griffith a few miles from where GTW and EJ&E intersect.
I’ve always thought that, too, Paul–but it is apparently what CN has been planning. At least it’s a two-track “branch” north from Griffith!
I wonder if the BNSF would be open to that? The reason that I think they may not is that CN could compete w/ BNSF for business that BNSF handles today over the Port of LA / Long Beach, whereas CN “could” potentailly try to snag that traffic over Prince Rupert with the accompanying shorter sailing time from China. Just a thought tho.