Passenger Trains > Belt Railroad of Chicago Amtrak host question

The Federal Railroad Administration Quarterly Report on the Performance and Service Quality of Intercity Passenger Train Operations lists the Belt Railroad of Chicago as one of Amtrak's hosts railroads.  Which Amtrak route (or routes) operate over the BRC?

Does the Cardinal catch a little bit of the BRC as it goes from NS to UP track around 75th street in Chicago?  That is the only place I think that Amtrak gets close to BRC tracks.

kbmiflyer Wrote:
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> Does the Cardinal catch a little bit of the BRC as
> it goes from NS to UP track around 75th street in
> Chicago?  That is the only place I think that
> Amtrak gets close to BRC tracks.

Looks like you're right -81st to 74th St. http://www.on-track-on-line.com/amtfreq-chi2.shtml#hoosier

Posted from Android

They also control the crossing at Lemoyne of the CN Joliet Sub, the Amtrak STL line

Posted from iPhone

GeoffM Wrote:
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> Looks like you're right -81st to 74th St.

That is exagerated. The Cardinal enters the BRC on one side of one interlocking and exits on the other side of the same interlocking. It passes through switches (not a simple diamond crossing) so I suppose that counts as a "host" but the tracks on both sides of the interlocking are owned by other railroads. (In a few years the interlocking may be rebuilt and Amtrak will pass over BRC on a bridge to get to the "NS Connector" and what is now the Metra SWS line.)

That green line on your diagram from 74th St to 80th St is NS. NS connects to the BRC 80th St with the NS Metra connection track to the north and the NS Stack connection to the south. The BRC runs through the middle and the UP Villa Grove division connects on the west side of the BRC to the south. The Cardinal passes through one interlocking to get from UP owned track to NS owned track. About 3300ft from the signal on UP to the signal on NS.

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CREATE’s EW2 project includes rebuilding of the 74th Street and 80th Street interlockings. Final Engineering is scheduled to begin this summer. The project will add a NS connection to Landers Yard west of the BRC three-track main. This track will provide a route for NS trains between Landers Yard and Calumet Yard that does not need to cross the BRC at grade. There is no bridge to carry Amtrak over the 80th Street interlocking in the current CREATE program.

Posted from iPhone

It will be interesting to see the final plan. The most recently published ("80-2" in the FEIS) still had Amtrak running through the 80th St interlocking but entering the interlocking from the east side just south of the NS connection to BRC instead of the west side. NS would get a track that bypassed 80th St on the east side as well as the Landers Main connection. Construction has not been funded for the rebuild of 80th St (or the Rock Island District connection).

Thanks to all who replied.