(The Chicago Tribune posted the following article on its website on October 28.)
CHICAGO — A dispute that threatened to sidetrack expanded Amtrak operations in Illinois has been resolved in time for the new service to begin Monday as scheduled, officials said Friday.
The Canadian National Railway Co. agreed late Thursday to allow Amtrak to use the freight railroad’s lines to run more trains from Chicago to St. Louis and Carbondale.
Both railroads agreed on the plan in July, but the Montreal-based CN attempted to back out of the deal last week due to concerns about disruptions to freight operations.
Members of the Illinois congressional delegation protested to CN officials. Amtrak also vowed to seek an emergency court order if CN did not abide by the agreement.
Starting Monday, Amtrak will run two more roundtrips each day on the Chicago-to-St. Louis route, bringing the total to five roundtrips; and one additional roundtrip between Chicago and Carbondale, increasing roundtrips to three daily.
The Saluki run to Carbondale operates almost exclusively on CN-owned tracks and the Lincoln Service to St. Louis operates on CN tracks for 37 miles between Chicago and Joliet.
The impact of the increased Amtrak service on freight operations will be reviewed after one year, officials said, and if warranted, changes to train schedules will be considered.