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It is now
official: The Track Renewal Train has entered Logan
County. Friday morning a trip along Old Route 66 between
Lincoln and Elkhart held a surprising scene, yet when
put into context, it made perfect sense.
Approximately every quarter- to half-mile along the side
of road stood a port-a-potty. While it looks odd to see
such a structure sitting on the edge of the road, it was
also sitting between the road and the train tracks, an
early indicator that something unusual is going on in
this region.
Farther down, on the north end of Elkhart, were a few
cars of concrete railroad ties, an innovation as opposed
to the old creosote-coated wood ties.
At the only intersection into Elkhart off 66, there were
a great number of heavy earth-moving machines, several
railroad workers and on the tracks themselves just south
of the intersection, the first section of the Track
Renewal Train system.
All of this is a huge undertaking that by the year 2014
will result in a high-speed rail system passing through
the heart of Logan County.
The multi-part TRT system began in Alton and will stop
just short of Chicago in 2011. This is the first stage
of the high-speed rail implementation. The system is
traveling at a pace of two miles per day, will remove
gravel from the track and ties, pull out the old wooden
ties, pull up the old track, lay new ties, lay and weld
new track, then redistribute the gravel and pack it into
place.
According to a worker on the scene Friday morning, the
crossing into Elkhart is expected to close on Saturday
morning, and remain closed until probably Tuesday. The
TRT does run seven days a week but can only work during
daylight hours.
For more
information, visit these related links:
Illinois
High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail:
http://www.idothsr.org/
Construction
details:
http://www.idothsr.org/construction/details/
Midwest High-Speed
Rail:
http://www.connectthemidwest.com/
Pictures by Nila
Smith |
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Just a few yards south of the road
that leads into Elkhart off 66, the first segment of the
TRT system was already at work early Friday morning.
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In the first stage, a front-end bucket tractor scoops up
gravel. |
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