The Chicago Rail Link is a
shortline switching railroad in
Illinois. It owns and operates more than 72 miles of track on the
South Side of
Chicago.
It is owned by
OmniTRAX.
History
The Chicago Rail Link was essentially organized 29 August 1980
after the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad abandoned track when it went defunct. It was originally called the LaSalle & Bureau County Railway
and owned former CRI&P track between
LaSalle and
Midway, Illinois. This track was abandoned in the Link's early years and is now owned by the
Iowa Interstate Railroad.
The Chicago Rail Link merged with Chicago, West Pullman & Southern railroad on August 15, 1996.
In late 2018, Senators
Dick Durbin and
Tammy Duckworth announced that the Chicago Rail Link will receive $1.6 million in funding from the
United States Department of Transportation to implement
positive train control.
The Chicago Rail Link was the contract switching operator for
Union Pacific and
CSX's intermodal facilities in Chicago as of 2010, but it is unclear whether this contract is still effective. The CRL serves the
Port of Chicago
The Port of Chicago consists of several major port facilities within the city of Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Illinois International Port District (formerly known as the Chicago Regional Port District). It is a multimodal facility featuring ...
, as well as being the current switching operator over
Metra trackage to their
Blue Island yard on the
Rock Island District.
Trackage
The Chicago Rail Link's trackage stretches between
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
,
Irondale,
Mokena
Mokena is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,887 at the 2020 census. The Census Bureau's 2019 estimate found that the population had increased to 20,159.
Etymology
Mokena is a name apparently derived from a ...
, and Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Rail Link has access to the
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
, the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
, the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
, the
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
network, the
Kansas City Southern Railway, the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
, and the
Union Pacific Railroad through the
Belt Railway of Chicago.
This is supplemented by trackage rights on the BRC for direct access.
The Chicago Rail Link also provides access to the Iowa Interstate Railroad through Blue Island.
CRI&P Subdivision 1B
The majority of the Chicago Rail Link's trackage was CRI&P's Subdivision 1B, which was constructed in 1974. Automatic block signalling was installed in the 1910's, however upon Chicago Rail Link ownership, the line was downgraded to be unsignaled and single-tracked. This subdivision was used by
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for passenger trains crossing the Rock Island main line at Gresham Junction. This junction is now where Metra Rock Island District splits.
There was a former extension of the line that went almost one half of a mile further, which intersected the main branch of the current day Metra Rock Island District.
Industrial Site Development
The Chicago Rail Link owns two plots of land in the South Side of Chicago that are served by its trackage. It is a part of OmniTRAX's Rail-Ready Sites program. OmniTRAX is cooperating with the Calumet Area Industrial Commission to sell these plots of land. They are both served by the Chicago Rail Link.
Equipment
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Rail Link
Illinois railroads
Railroads in the Chicago metropolitan area
Switching and terminal railroads
OmniTRAX