An official with Great Lakes Basin Transportation said the portion of a proposed, three-state freight train route between Lowell and south of Wanatah could see 56 to 85 trains a day once the line is fully up and running.
The information comes in a response to a request for more information from the federal Surface Transportation board about GLBT’s plans for a freight train line from southern Wisconsin into LaPorte County.
The response also details maximum train speeds for the line, depending on what the trains are carrying, among other factors. The maximum speeds are 70 mph for intermodal; 50 mph for coal and grain; 45 mph for oil; and 55 mph for general carloads.
“You have to understand that what you’re looking at is a guesstimate of what’s going on,” said Mike Blaszak, an attorney with GLBT. “It’s intended to reflect our best estimate of traffic between connecting points.”
The response is dated Thursday, the day it was due, and was filed by Jim Wilson, GLBT’s president and CEO; it went up on the STB’s website for the proposal Monday afternoon.
In September, the STB, which will determine whether the proposal moves forward as proposed, on an alternate route, or not at all, requested more information on the average number of trains per day, the anticipated average operating speed for trains, and the anticipated average train length.
“The volume of traffic that would be carried on the proposed line, and thus GLBT’s forecast of that volume, depends on many factors,” including economic activity when the line is completed, the type and volume of train traffic going through Chicago, and GLBT’s business plans, Wilson said in the filing.
Wilson and Frank Patton, GLBT’s founder and managing partner, are proposing the freight train line as a bypass for Chicago’s congested rail yards and have said the $8 billion project would be privately funded. The route would cut through southern Lake and Porter counties on its way to its terminus in LaPorte County.
The project is being proposed to serve the six Class 1 railroads going through Chicago, though two have said they will not participate and none of the remaining four have said they would use the freight line if it was constructed.
The request for additional information was one of three from the STB. The others were an alternate route, which GLBT filed in September and shaved more than 21 miles off the original, 278-mile plan, and a request for additional information on travel times and other details. The response to that is due Nov. 30.
The response does not focus on the initial or more recent routes proposed by GLBT, Blaszak said.
“It doesn’t matter for this purpose. A freight car doesn’t really care what route it takes,” he said, likening the freight trains to airplanes going from one city to another. “This actually has nothing to do with the route. It has more to do with the number of trains no matter which way the trains are going.”
The average number of trains would increase over time, the filing said. The number of trains between Lowell and south of Wanatah would be 11 to 20 the first year, 21 to 35 the second year, and then hit 56 to 85, according to the filing.
The STB is likely trying to get an idea on noise, vibration and other factors as it puts together an environmental impact study on the proposal, Blaszak said.
“That is our projection. Like anything new, it takes time to catch on,” he said, adding with all the information provided in the response, the actual numbers will depend on things GLBT officials don’t know, like the economy and train traffic. “It’s like any market forecast exercise. It’s our best guess but we can’t tell the future.”
He expects GLBT will meet the Nov. 30 deadline for the STB’s most recent request for additional information, though he declined to discuss what that response would be.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
INDOT session Tuesday
The Indiana Department of Transportation is hosting a series of open houses across the state to get input on the future of freight and passenger rail in Indiana.
Brief presentations will begin at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at INDOT’s LaPorte District office, 315 E. Boyd Blvd., LaPorte.
INDOT officials and consultant staff will be on hand to answer questions before and after the presentations, and attendees can complete a paper survey. The survey also is available online at www.in.gov/indot/3588.htm.
