Class 1 Rail Lines in the Chicago Area

Routes, operations, traffic, etc. of the six Class 1 roads entering the Chicago area. Chicago's commuter train agency, Metra, is included since its routes and operations are closely intertwined with the Class 1s. Also provided are references to the major interlockings through which the routes pass. Please consult the links on the home page to find out more about these locations. Unless otherwise noted, CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) is in use for all or most of the major subdivisions. Where known, traffic control for minor routes is provided. Directions given below are by compass rather than timetable.

BNSF

BNSF is the easiest railroad to describe. It enters Chicagoland via just two routes, both of which see over 50 freights per day. Both are controlled by dispatchers in Ft.Worth, Texas.

Chillicothe Subdivision: extends from approximately Corwith Yard on Chicago's south side to Chillicothe, Illinois, running in a southwesterly direction through McCook Junction and Joliet Station. This is the famous ex-Santa Fe "transcon" main line to Kansas City and the west coast. It features all kinds of freight traffic but time-sensitive intermodal trains are dominant, with many serving the large UPS terminal at Willow Springs. No commuter or Amtrak trains operate on this sub.

BNSF's major yards in the Chicago area are Cicero Yard on the Chicago sub and Corwith Yard on the Chillicothe. Both have evolved into major intermodal terminals. For the most part, general merchandise traffic is transferred to other yards such as Blue Island (IHB) and Clearing (BRC). Traffic for those yards is sorted and pre-blocked at Galesburg, Illinois. Auto rack traffic is delivered to IHB's Gibson Yard. In addition, BNSF has a large intermodal and warehousing facility southwest of Joliet. Known as "Logistics Park," it is on the Chillicothe sub and occupies the former Joliet Arsenal military site.

Canadian National

CN enters Chicago on three major routes and two of lesser importance.

Chicago Subdivision: former Illinois Central main line to Memphis and New Orleans. The Chicago sub extends from 16th Street Crossing to Champaign, Illinois, passing through Kensington, Homewood, Matteson and Kankakee. Freight traffic averages 25 to 30 trains per day. Metra Electric's busy University Park line (also an ex-IC property) runs right alongside but is operated independently. Amtrak trains to Carbondale, Illinois, and New Orleans also use the Chicago sub.

Elsdon Subdivision: extending from the south side of Chicago to Griffith Junction, this ex-Grand Trunk Western main traverses Hayford Junction, Ashburn, Blue Island Crossing and Thornton Junction. About 30-35 trains use it on a given day, with most westbounds transferring either to IHB/CSX at Blue Island or to BRC at Hayford. No commuter or Amtrak trains travel the route. CTC is in use between Elsdon yard and Hayford, and between Broadway (Blue Island) and Griffith. In between, the double track is signalled for right-hand operation. The South Bend Subdivision runs from Griffith to South Bend, passing through Wayne Junction and Wellsboro. From there, the GTW route heads northeast to Durand, Michigan where it splits, with one line running southeast to Detroit and the other heading east through Port Huron into Canada.

Waukesha Subdivision: former Wisconsin Central / Soo Line route between Chicago (roughly the Forest Park area) and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. North of Fond du Lac the route extends to Superior, Wisconsin, and the Twin Cities. Upon entering the Chicago area, it passes through Leithton Junction, Deval Crossing and the busy Franklin Park interlocking. About 25 CN freights a day can be seen on the Waukesha. From Franklin Park north to Antioch, Illinois, Metra's North Central commuter trains use the line. There is no Amtrak service.

Freeport Subdivision: another ex-IC route, the Freeport runs between 16th Street crossing on Chicago's near south side and Freeport, Illinois. Beyond there, the line runs west through Iowa, terminating at Coucil Bluffs. It enters the area at Munger, passing through LaVergne, Hawthorne, Bridgeport and 21st Street. West of Bridgeport, this line sees considerably less traffic, with no commuter or Amtrak trains. CTC is used east of Bridgeport, track warrants with ABS west of there.

Joliet Subdivision: former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (and before that, Chicago & Alton) route between Chicago and St.Louis, the Joliet sub extends from a point just north of Joliet station to the near south side of Chicago, passing through Argo, Brighton Park and ending at Bridgeport. South of Joliet, the line is owned and operated by Union Pacific (also called the "Joliet sub") and extends to St.Louis. This line sees little freight traffic. Mostly it is used by Amtrak's St.Louis trains and Metra's weekday-only Heritage Corridor trains which terminate at Joliet.

CN's major classification yard is Glenn Yard, ironically located on the freight-anemic Joliet sub. Trains departing the yard either travel east to access the Chicago sub or southwest to Argo where they take the IHB/CSX to Franklin Park and transfer to the Waukesha sub. Hawthorne Yard on the Freeport sub also does some switching and sorting as well. Markham Yard, located at Homewood on the Chicago sub, still performs some classification work but is now mostly an intermodal terminal. Auto rack trains off the Elsdon and Chicago subs head for IHB's Gibson Yard.

The Chicago, Joliet and Freeport subs are dispatched from Homewood, Illinois; the Elsdon and South Bend subs from Pontiac, Michigan; and the Waukesha sub from Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Canadian Pacific

CP's operations in and around Chicago are entwined with those of Metra and Norfolk Southern, making for a rather complex picture.

C&M Subdivision: former Milwaukee Road / Soo Line main to Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. The C&M sub extends from Tower A2 at Metra's Western Avenue station north to Milwaukee, passing through Pacific Junction (Tower A5), Mayfair, Techny and Rondout. Between Milwaukee and Rondout, the line is owned, maintained and dispatched by CP, but from Rondout to Tower A2, Metra owns and maintains the infrastructure while all train movements continue to be dispatched by CP. Traffic is heavy with commuter trains between A2 and A5 towers, but about half of them (the Metra Milwaukee West trains) leave the C&M at A5 and head west on the Elgin sub (see below). From A5 north to Techny, the remaining Metra trains (Metra Milwaukee North service) are joined by a few CP freights. The majority of CP freights, however, access or leave the C&M at Techny. Metra Milwaukee North Trains travel to Rondout where they transfer to CP's Fox Lake sub (again see below). Finally, Amtrak's Hiawatha trains and the Empire Builder use the C&M to Milwaukee.

From Western Avenue to Lake Street, just north of Union Station, traffic consists entirely of Metra and Amtrak trains. The tracks are owned and dispatched by Metra. From Lake Street into the station, traffic is controlled by Amtrak operators.

Elgin Subdivision: also a former Milwaukee Road / Soo Line property, this sub extends west from Tower A5 at Pacific Junction through Cragin, Franklin Park and Bensenville to Elgin. Beyond Elgin, the line runs west through Iowa to Kansas City and belongs to the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern railroad. As with the C&M sub, the Elgin is owned and maintained by Metra but dispatched by CP. Located west of Franklin Park (still called "Tower B12" though the tower is long gone) is CP's Bensenville Yard, and CP freights running east either leave the Elgin sub at Franklin Park for the IHB, or at Cragin for the Belt Railway main, or else continue to Tower A5 where they head north on the C&M sub. West of the yard, traffic consists of Milwaukee West commuter trains and an occasional IC&E freight on trackage rights. Few if any CP trains operate on this segment, but it is nonetheless dispatched by CP. Freights from other Class 1 roads can be seen operating on the Cragin-Franklin Park-Bensenville segment. CN's Waukesha sub connects with CP and Indiana Harbor Belt at Franklin Park. No Amtrak trains operate on this sub.

Fox Lake Subdivision: originating at Rondout, this sub is a former Milwaukee / Soo branch that extends through Prairie (Grayslake) Crossing to Fox Lake, As before, the infrastructure is owned and maintained by Metra but is dispatched by CP. Beyond Fox Lake into Wisconsin, the track is owned by Wisconsin Southern. Traffic consists mostly of Metra's Milwaukee North trains that leave the C&M sub at Rondout and terminate at Fox Lake. A Wisconsin Southern freight can be seen on most days, and an occasional CP local uses the route as well. This sub is operated via track warrants and ABS.

The C&M, Elgin and Fox Lake subs illustrate the intricate relationship between CP and Metra. According to the CP timetable, Metra has jurisdiction over all their commuter trains, including schedules, train and engine crew assignments, and power and equipment distribution. However, the Metra trains are governed by CP rules, timetable and general orders. Towers A2 and A5 are manned by Metra operators, but Rondout and B17 (Bensenville) towers are staffed by CP personnel. The towers do most of the dispatching in the Chicago area. From Rondout to Milwaukee, however, the C&M sub is dispatched from Minneapolis.

Canadian Pacific trackage rights - CP has no route of its own between Detroit/Canada and Chicago. Instead, there are two trackage rights routes:

Via Butler, Indiana: From Detroit, CP trains travel southwest on NS's ex-Wabash main to Butler, where via a northwest quadrant connection built in 2005, they access the NS ex-Conrail Chicago Line. They then proceed due west to the Chicago area. CP has its own facilities and crew-change point at Elkhart, Indiana.

Via Grand Rapids, Michigan: CP trains head northwest from Detroit using trackage rights on CSX (ex-C&O, ex-Pere Marquette) to Grand Rapids. There they transfer to another CSX ex-PM route and travel southwest to Porter Junction, where they access the Chicago Line and head west. Before the Butler connection was constructed, this was CP's main route to Chicago from eastern Canada. Now, however, very few trains use it.

CP trackage rights in the Chicago area: Upon reaching northwest Indiana, most CP trains leave the Chicago Line at Indiana Harbor (CP 502) and head south on Indiana Harbor Belt's Kankakee Line past Calumet and Grasselli to Gibson. They then head west on the IHB main passing through Hohman, Calumet Park and Dolton junctions to Blue Island, where they take the joint IHB/CSX main to Franklin Park. Along the way, CP trains can be observed at Chicago Ridge, Argo, McCook and LaGrange. At Franklin Park they access the Elgin sub and proceed west to Bensenville Yard.

A few CP trains continue on the Chicago Line past CP 502 and access the Belt Railway at Rock Island Juntion (CP 509). They then travel west on the Belt and either enter Clearing Yard or head north on the Belt via the 67th Steet wye, 55th Street crossing and Hawthorne to Cragin Junction where they access the Elgin sub.

Another major use of trackage-rights can be found in Chicago's north suburbs. CP trains coming south from Milwaukee leave the C&M sub at Techny and access Union Pacific's Milwaukee sub (often called the "New Line"), which runs soutwest through Deval and then south around O'Hare airport. At Bryn Mawr, CP trains leave the Milwaukee and head south on their own trackage to Tower B17 at the west end of Bensenville. This short stretch of track is technically part of the C&M sub. Most CP freights use this route, but a few continue south past Techny to Tower A5 and take the Elgin sub to the east end of the yard.

CP's major Chicago yard is Bensenville, one of the few remaining hump yards. CP's intermodal operations are centered at Bensenville and Schiller Park yard. The latter is located along CN's ex-Wisconsin Central main. When Soo sold the line to WC, it retained possession of Schiller Park.

CSX

CSX enters the Chicago area on two major routes and several minor ones.

Former Baltimore & Ohio Main Line: the busiest main line, with over 50 trains daily, the B&O delivers all traffic from east coast points to Chicago. It is divided into four subdivisions, but only the first three listed below are major arteries. From Pine Junction to the west, this route technically belongs to the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad, a former subsidiary of B&O. Even though the B&O itself is long gone, B&OCT still exists (on paper at least) and is now a CSX holding. No commuter or Amtrak trains use this route.

Garrett Subdivision: extends from Garrett, Indiana (about 25 miles north of Ft.Wayne) west through Wellsboro to Willow Creek Junction, where it crosses CSX's Porter Branch (former Michigan Central main line, later a Conrail property). A connection was constructed after the Conrail breakup to allow westbound trains on the Garrett to access the Porter Branch and is used by a small number of trains.

Barr Subdivision: runs between Willow Creek and Blue Island Crossing passing through Miller, Pine Junction, Calumet, State Line, Calumet Park and Dolton. At Pine, the trackage becomes B&OCT property and remains so for the rest of its Chicago route. The Barr sub of course also travels through Barr Yard, CSX's major classification yard in the Chicago area. A connection between Barr and Indiana Harbor Belt's nearby Blue Island Yard allows for extensive interchange between the two roads.

Blue Island Subdivision: extends from Blue Island Crossing north through Chicago to Rockwell Street (also known as Ogden Junction), located near Roosevelt Road and Western Avenue. It passes through 75th Street (Forest Hill), where it connects with the Belt Railway, and further north to Brighton Park, where it crosses Canadian National's Joliet sub. It also connects with BNSF's Chicago sub (the "racetrack") at about 18th Street. CTC is used from Blue Island to 75th, with standard, double track right-hand operation north of 75th. Rockwell Street should not be confused with Rockwell Junction, which is about a mile to the north and does not involve CSX.

Altenheim Subdivision: begins at Rockwell Street and runs due west to Forest Park where the tracks become the property of Canadian National (ex-Wisconsin Central, ex-Soo). From Rockwell to the Belt Railway crossing near Cicero Avenue, the Altenheim is out of service.

Former Chicago & Eastern Illinois Main Line: nearly all traffic from the south enters Chicago on this route. CSX inherited it from Louisville & Nashville which had bought it from C&EI. The line runs north from Evansville, Indiana, to Woodland Junction, where it joins Union Pacific's ex-C&EI, ex-Missouri Pacific line from St.Louis and the southwest.

Woodland Subdivision: extends from Danville, Illinois, to Woodland Junction. North of the junction, the line is jointly owned by Union Pacific and CSX. However, UP operates and maintains this segment, which is part of their Villa Grove sub. Hence from Woodland north to Chicago, CSX movements are controlled by UP dispatchers. Many CSX trains leave UP / CSX tracks at Dolton Junction and join the Barr sub for the short trip to Barr Yard. From Dolton north, the tracks belong solely to UP and some CSX freights use it to reach Clearing Yard or CSX's nearby Bedford Park intermodal terminal. Traffic averages around 25 trains per day; a few of them being Indiana Rail Road trains exercising haulage rights. No Amtrak trains use the Woodland sub.

Other Routes Into Chicago:

Monon Subdivision: extends from Lafayette to Maynard (in Munster, Indiana). North of Maynard into Hammond, the Monon track is out of service. Hence, trains from Lafayette transfer to CN's ex-Grand Trunk main line and head northwest to Thornton Junction, where they access the joint UP / CSX Villa Grove sub. From there they run north through Dolton, and as with the Woodland trains, can reach either Barr Yard or Clearing. An average day sees eight to ten trains. From Lafayette, the Monon extends south to Crawfordsville and Greencastle, Indiana. Indianapolis trains access the Monon at Crawfordsville, and Evansville-Terre Haute trains at Greencastle. Amtrak's Cardinal and Hoosier State use the Monon sub, making the same connections at Maynard and Thornton. The Monon sub uses Direct Traffic Control with ABS.

Grand Rapids Subdivision: a former Pere Marquette (later, Chesapeake & Ohio) route between Grand Rapids and Porter Junction. At Porter, CSX trains access Norfolk Southern's Chicago Line and proceed west on trackage rights to the Barr and Lake subs at Pine Juction. Years ago, Canadian Pacific acquired traffic rights and were accorded rights on NS as well. Until 2004, CP freights from Detroit and Canada used this line heavily, but only a handful operate on it now. Amtrak's Pere Marquette between Chicago and Grand Rapids also uses this route. Around ten trains a day can be seen on the Grand Rapids.

Porter Branch: runs west from Porter Junction to the Indiana Harbor Belt main at Ivanhoe on the far west side of Gary. Further west, at Calumet Park and also near Dolton, CSX trains access the Barr sub. Other Class 1 roads use this line on trackage rights. Eastbounds feed into the Chicago Line at Porter and continue to NS's classification yard at Elkhart, Indiana. This route was once part of the Michigan Central Chicago-Detroit main line (later New York Central), but the crossing with the Chicago Line at Porter was severed back in the 1970s. No commuter or Amtrak trains use the Porter Branch.

Lake Subdivision: known locally as the B&O passenger line, this route at one time began at Pine Juction, leading off the Barr sub. However, it was cut back in the 1970s to a point about three miles to the northwest. Westbound trains that use the Lake leave the Barr sub at Pine and use a connection to NS's Chicago Line at CP 501. They continue northwest on NS to the existing Lake trackage in East Chicago, which runs parallel to and just north of the Chicago Line. The western terminus is at Rock Island Junction (95th Street) in South Chicago, where CSX freights use trackage rights on the Belt Railway to reach Clearing Yard and the CSX intermodal terminals. Before Amtrak, B&O passenger trains were the primary traffic on the Lake, but now only a few CSX freights use it. The Lake is signalled for standard right-hand operation on its double track segment.

New Rock Subdivision: a segment of the former Rock Island main line running between Joliet and Bureau, Illinois. East of Joliet, the line is owned and operated by Metra, and CSX trains use trackage rights to reach Barr Yard. To the west, the track belongs to Iowa Interstate, who uses trackage rights on the New Rock and Metra to reach the Chicago area. CSX also owns a portion of a line running south from Bureau to Peoria and it is also part of the New Rock. Very little CSX traffic actually uses the sub; on most days just an out-and-back local freight. No Amtrak trains use the New Rock, and Metra's commuter trains terminate at Joliet. The New Rock uses Direct Traffic Control.

Chicago Heights Subdivision: runs from Harvey Junction just west of Barr Yard south to end of track at the suburb of Thornton. At one time, it extended further through Chicago Heights to Faithorn, Illinois. South of Faithorn the track belonged to the Milwaukee Road who used trackage rights on B&OCT to reach there. The Milwaukee line ran south through Danville, Terre Haute and Bedford, Indiana. The Terre Haute - Bedford segment is now owned by the Indiana Rail Road. A segment from Danville north to Iroquois Junction is now owned by Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern. Everything else is gone.

Fort Wayne Line: CSX also owns a large segment of the former Pennsylvania main line, extending from Tolleston Junction in Gary, through Ft.Wayne to Crestline,Ohio. However, in 2004 CSX leased this route to Rail America, and it is now operated as the Chicago, Ft.Wayne & Eastern Railroad. At Tolleston, the line feeds into the Porter Branch, and CF&E trains head west to Indiana Harbor Belt's main line at Ivanhoe. They tie up at IHB's Blue Island Yard.

Barr Yard near Riverdale, Illinois, is CSX's major classification yard. It is flat-switched and fairly small, requiring CSX to have some of their classification work done in yards belonging to other roads. CSX also has two intermodal terminals in the Chicago area: Bedford Park, located on the south edge of Clearing Yard, and 59th Street (a former Pennsy yard) on B&OCT's Blue Island sub. Auto rack classification is done at IHB's Gibson Yard.

The Woodland sub is dispatched from Jacksonville, Florida. Except for the Ft.Wayne line, all others are controlled from Calumet City, Illinois.

Norfolk Southern

NS has two major routes entering Chicago from the east, a minor one from the south plus trackage rights routes from Peoria and Decatur.

Dearborn Division, Chicago Line, Chicago West Dispatcher: former New York Central, Penn Central and Conrail main line between Chicago and Cleveland. From Whiting, Indiana, into Chicago, the ex-Pennsylvania Ft.Wayne line is used instead of NYC. The Chicago West dispatcher handles all traffic between 21st Street Junction on Chicago's south side to Porter Junction at CP 482. Within this area, there are important interlockings at Rock Island Junction (CP 509), Indiana Harbor (CP 502) and Pine Junction (CP 498). This is one of the busiest main lines in the area with over 70 trains on an average day. In addition to NS freights, Chicago West handles Amtrak trains to Michigan and the east coast, as well as CSX and Canadian Pacific trains on trackage rights. To add to the congestion, Indiana Harbor Belt uses trackage rights between Burns Harbor (CP 485) and Indiana Harbor. CSX eastbound trains leave the line at Porter and head north on the Grand Rapids sub. Amtrak's Michigan trains also leave at Porter using their own ex-Michigan Central tracks to Kalamazoo. Most CP trains continue east from Porter and access NS's ex-Wabash line to Detroit. No commuter trains use the Chicago Line.

Dearborn Division, CP Brighton: Many westbound NS freights leave the Chicago Line at Root Street, a couple of miles south of 21st, and head west to Ashland Avenue Yard. From there, other railroads may be accessed using former Chicago River & Indiana trackage previously owned by Conrail. This route, which traverses Brighton Park Crossing, is dispatched from Ashland rather than Chicago West but is still part of the Dearborn Division. UP and BNSF trains can often be seen here.

Lake Division, Chicago District: former Nickel Plate main line to Cleveland and Buffalo. The Chicago District (NS prefers 'district' to 'subdivision') extends from Van Loon junction on the west side of Gary, Indiana, through Wayne/Spriggsboro to Fort Wayne. Before the Conrail merger, the Chicago District extended into Chicago, but west of Van Loon the line is now part of the Dearborn division and controlled from the tower at Cummings Bridge, which spans the Calumet River. About 30 freights a day use the Chicago district; many of them originate or terminate at Calumet Yard on the far south side of Chicago. Most steel mill traffic transfers to the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern at Van Loon or to the Indiana Harbor Belt a few miles west at Osborn. Intermodal trains use Landers Yard on Chicago's southwest side. No Amtrak or commuter trains use the route.

Dearborn Division, Kankakee Line: former New York Central line extending east from Hennepin, Illinois, through Streator and Kankakee to Schneider, Indiana. It then heads north to a point near the Little Calumet River in Hammond, Indiana. Although NS operation ends there, the tracks continue north through Osborn, Gibson, Grassellli and Calumet to the lakefront industrial area of Indiana Harbor (CP 502). However, this segment is operated by the Indiana Harbor Belt under a long-term lease agreement. At Osborn, NS trains can transfer to the Chicago District or head north on IHB to CSX's Porter Branch at Gibson or continue still further to the Chicago Line at CP 502. Traffic is light, perhaps eight to ten trains daily, including a few BNSF freights that transfer at Streator and use it as a Chicago bypass. No Amtrak or commuter trains use this line.

Trackage Rights, Peoria and Decatur: Trains from Peoria use an ex-NKP line east to Gibson City, Illinois. Trains from Decatur use a former Wabash main line north to Gibson City. There, the two lines join with a Canadian National ex-IC secondary line from Springfield. NS trains travel on trackage rights to Gilman, Illinois, where they access CN's Chicago sub. Once in the Chicago area, they leave CN at 95th Street and head east to Calumet Yard. Only a few NS trains use these routes.

The Chicago Line does not have a major yard in the Chicago area. At NS's huge terminal in Elkhart, Indiana, trains are sorted and pre-blocked for Chicago delivery. From there, many trains travel directly to the yards of other roads in the Chicago area, with some transferring to the Indiana Harbor Belt at CP 502. Others proceed to Ashland Avenue yard, as noted earlier. The only major classification yard in the Chicago area is the NKP Chicago District's Calumet Yard. The primary intermodal facilities are Landers Yard on the ex-Wabash line (now Metra's Southwest sub), and 47th Street along the Chicago Line. Most auto rack traffic heads to IHB's Gibson Yard.

The Lake division is dispatched from New Haven, Indiana. The Chicago Line dispatchers are located in Dearborn, Michigan.

Union Pacific

Union Pacific has three major freight routes into Chicago, two more busy lines featuring mostly commuter trains, plus several minor routes. Left-hand operation continues to be the rule on all former Chicago & North Western trackage.

Geneva Subdivision: running from downtown Chicago to Clinton, Iowa, this is a former C&NW main line that is now UP's major route to the west. From downtown, it passes through Western Avenue interlocking (Tower A-2), Proviso Yard, Elmhurst and West Chicago (Turner Junction). Further west, the line crosses BNSF's Aurora sub at Rochelle. Like the BNSF racetrack, this is a triple track main within the greater Chicago area. From downtown to the suburb of Geneva, an average weekday sees over 100 trains. UP freights are plentiful but so are UP/Metra's West Line commuter trains that terminate either at Geneva or eight miles further west at Elburn. No Amtrak trains travel this route.

Villa Grove Subdivision: extending from Chicago's south side to the town of Villa Grove in central Illinois, this sub was once part of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois and later the Missouri Pacific. It is divided into two halves. From Woodland Junction, where it is joined by CSX's ex-C&EI Woodland sub, to Chicago it is double track and owned jointly by UP and CSX, with UP dispatching and maintaining it. This northern half features close to 50 trains on an average day, passing through Momence, Chicago Heights, Thornton Junction and UP's Yard Center in Dolton. South of Woodland, it is an all-UP single track line that sees roughly 25 trains per day. Beyond Villa Grove at Findlay, Illinois, the route splits. One line heads to St.Louis with the other heading further southwest, crossing the Mississippi River and joining the ex-MP main running south from St.Louis. No Amtrak or commuter trains use the Villa Grove sub, but Metra hopes to begin commuter service in 2009 with trains terminating at Crete, Illinois, a few miles south of Chicago Heights.

Milwaukee Subdivision: running between Milwaukee and Proviso Yard near Elmhurst, this is an ex-C&NW all-freight route. It heads due south from Milwaukee but veers southwest at Valley Junction near the suburb of Northbrook. From this point to Proviso, it is often called the "New Line." A few miles further, a connection off CP's C&M sub joins it at Shermer. Most CP trains coming south from Wisconsin transfer to the New Line here and proceed on trackage rights through Deval to Bryn Mawr on the west side of O'Hare airport. From there, they use their own tracks to reach Bensenville Yard. UP freights continue south on the New Line, crossing over Bensenville on a viaduct, and head to Proviso. Between Proviso and KO Junction (see below), the double track is signalled for left-hand operation. North of KO, traffic operates by track warrants with ABS.

Kenosha Subdivision: running between Kenosha, Wisconsin and downtown Chicago, this sub parallels the Milwaukee sub south from Milwaukee, running closer to the Lake Michigan shore line. It is also a former C&NW line that featured intercity passenger trains to the Twin Cities and Wisconsin points before the creation of Amtrak. Traffic now consists almost entirely of UP/Metra North Line commuter trains, most of which terminate at Waukegan with a few continuing on to Kenosha. Several UP freights from Wisconsin use the line to Lake Bluff, a few miles south of Waukegan, but transfer to the Milwaukee sub via the Lake Subdivision. The Lake diverges from the Kenosha at the Lake Bluff commuter station and runs southwest about a mile and a half, joining the Milwaukee sub at KO Junction. South of Lake Bluff, traffic on the Kenosha sub consists entirely of North Line commuter trains.

Harvard Subdivision: running northwest from downtown Chicago through Mayfair, Deval and Barrington interlockings to Harvard, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border, this is another former C&NW route whose traffic consists almost entirely of commuter trains. The majority of UP/Metra Northwest Line trains terminate at Crystal Lake, with a few continuing to Harvard. Beyond Harvard this is a secondary freight line to Janesville, Wisconsin. The relatively few UP trains from Wisconsin leave the Harvard just west of Deval and access the Milwaukee sub. They then head south to Proviso yard. East of Deval, an occasional switch job can be found serving local industries, but the Northwest Line commuter trains dominate the action. There is no Amtrak service on this route.

The Northwest and North lines join at Clybourn on Chicago's north side for the last few miles into downtown Chicago. For the Kenosha sub, a controlled block system is used from downtown to Clybourn. Between Clybourn and Winnetka, operation is by CTC. From Winnetka to Kenosha, the double track is signalled for left-hand operation. For the Harvard sub, the controlled block system extends from downtown to Mayfair. Between Mayfair and Harvard, the double (or triple) track is signalled for left-hand operation. ATS is in use on both subs.

Joliet Subdivision: spanning the distance between Joliet and Bloomington, Illinois, this sub is part of the former Chicago & Alton, ex-Gulf, Mobile & Ohio route to Springfield and St.Louis. UP inherited it from Southern Pacific, who had purchased it from the bankrupt Chicago, Missouri & Western. From Joliet to Chicago, the track is owned by Canadian National, who also calls it the Joliet sub. Freight traffic is very light; UP prefers the Villa Grove sub instead. However, Amtrak's St.Louis corridor trains use it, as do Metra's weekday Heritage Corridor trains running between Union Station and Joliet. From Joliet to Pequot, Illinois, traffic is controlled by BNSF. Beyond Pequot, CTC is in use.

Minor Routes: in addition to the aforementioned Lake sub, UP has several other minor routes. The Rockwell Subdivision connects UP's Global I intermodal yard on Chicago's west side with the Geneva sub. The Belvidere Branch runs from UP's yard in West Chicago to Rockford, Illinois. One of the customers served is the Illinois Railway Museum. Remnants of two C&NW industrial branches on the north side of Chicago are still in operation: the Cragin Industrial Lead and the Weber Industrial Lead.

UP has two major classification yards: Proviso, a hump yard located along the Geneva sub, and Yard Center on the Villa Grove sub. It has three major intermodal yards: Global I west of downtown Chicago using yards once operated by C&NW and B&OCT; Global II at Proviso; and Global III, located west of the Chicago area near Rochelle, Illinois.

Metra

Unless otherwise noted, the downtown terminal is Union Station. Except for the BNSF and UP routes, all local stations are operated by Metra.

BNSF Aurora Racetrack (Chicago sub): BNSF operates Metra trains under a fee-for-service contract. BNSF owns, maintains and dispatches the physical plant, and also owns some of the commuter equipment. Train crews are BNSF employees.

UP North, Northwest and West lines (Kenosha, Harvard and Geneva subs): Same as BNSF, except UP does not own any equipment. UP/Metra trains have their own terminal a few blocks north of Union Station. Known as the Ogilvie Transportation Center, it occupies the second floor of an office tower that replaced the demolished North Western station at Madison and Canal streets.

Milwaukee District (C&M, Elgin and Fox Lake subs): Metra owns and maintains the physical plant. Canadian Pacific dispatches the routes. Train equipment belongs to Metra, and train crews are Metra employees.

North Central line (CN Waukesha sub): Canadian National owns, maintains and dispatches the route between Antioch and Franklin Park. Train equipment belongs to Metra, and train crews are employed by Metra. North Central trains use the Milwaukee District between Franklin Park and Union Station.

Heritage Corridor (CN and UP Joliet subs): Trains operate on CN from 21st Street (about a mile south of Union Station) to the north end of Joliet. From there to Joliet station, the track belongs to UP. Metra owns the equipment and employs the train crews. CN dispatches the route.

Southwest Subdivision: former Wabash line to Decatur and St.Louis leased in 1993 from Norfolk Southern. NS retains trackage rights and continues to dispatch the route. Metra owns the equipment and employs the train crews. Most commuter trains terminate at the suburb of Orland Park, but a few continue on to Manhattan, Illinois. Beyond Manhattan the track is gone, but picks up again in central Illinois. The Bloomer Line uses it to Gibson City, and NS owns it from there to Decatur.

THE FOLLOWING ROUTES ARE ENTIRELY OWNED AND OPERATED BY METRA.

Electric District: former Illinois Central commuter route that runs south from downtown alongside CN's ex-IC Chicago sub. It is the only Metra district using electric power. The main line passes through Kensington, Homewood and Matteson, terminating at the far south suburb of University Park. Two branches depart the main, one at 67th Street running to the South Chicago area, and the other just south of Kensingtion, terminating at Blue Island. The downtown terminus is Randolph Street station (now euphemistically called "Millennium Station"). The Chicago, South Shore & South Bend interurban exercises trackage rights from Kensington (115th Street) to downtown. The South Shore is not a Metra entity. It is owned and operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

Rock Island District: former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific main line between LaSalle Street station in downtown Chicago and Joliet station. At 16th Street, it crosses both CN's Chicago sub and the St.Charles Air Line. Further south, it passes through Gresham and Vermont Street, and flies over Blue Island Crossing. The original LaSalle Street terminal was demolished in 1981 and replaced with an office tower. Metra trains operate out of a new facility at the rear of the building. Iowa Interstate and CSX use the Rock district on trackage rights. At Gresham, an all-passenger line diverges from the main and is used by most commuter trains. The two lines reunite at Blue Island. Beyond Joliet, the line is owned by CSX to Bureau, Illinois, and by IAIS west of there.

I'm grateful to the following people for their help in putting this page together: Mike Blaszak, Russel Dove, Adam Kerman, Doug Kaniuk, Jon Roma, J.D. (Tuch) Santucci, Jim Sinclair and Bill Vandervoort. Any errors that might remain are mine, not theirs.