Metra, a commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area, and its railroad and municipal partners have unveiled a comprehensive list of infrastructure construction projects planned for 2018. In addition to major projects to replace aging bridges on the UP North and Milwaukee District West lines and construct new track segments on the UP West Line, the 2018 construction program also includes numerous smaller infrastructure improvement projects distributed across Metra’s 11 lines.
In Metra’s 2018 capital program, $84.8 million has been allocated for the types of construction projects included in this release: $5.5 million for station improvements, $20.9 million for track maintenance and improvements, $12 million for bridge projects, $4.5 million for rail crossing replacements, and $39.7 million for signal system upgrades, including $30 million for PTC. Additional funding for some of the projects included in this release was allocated in prior years’ capital programs or came from outside sources, including municipalities and Metra’s freight railroad partners.
Construction work got under way the first week of April and will continue through the fall, weather permitting.
A portion of the work is being performed by Metra’s in-house crews, which are dispatched to make repairs to stations and carry out other smaller jobs, as well as contracted construction firms for larger projects. Metra is also contributing funds for station repairs and upgrades that will be performed by a municipality or its contractors.
Timing of the projects may change and, when warranted, projects may be added to or removed from this list.
You can see the full list of projects here.
