PTC grants for OmniTRAX lines in Chicago
Written by Railway Age Staff
Chicago Rail Link switching Schilling lumberyard in Mokena, Ill., 2017. YouTube/bnsfwarbonnet
Short lines Chicago Rail Link and Illinois Railway recently received federal grants to aid in the deployment of Positive Train Control technology.
The carriers are subsidiaries of short line operator OmniTRAX.
Under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant Program, the CRL and IR will receive funds representing 70% of PTC implementation costs, OmniTRAX said.
A total of five CRL and IR locomotives will be PTC–equipped, to run on Metra commuter corridors in Chicago.
The CRL provides freight service for customers between Mokena and Gresham; the IR works between Aurora and Eola.
“OmniTRAX is passionate about safety and putting PTC technology on the CRL and IR will make two of the safest short line railroads in the country even safer,” said Kevin Shuba, chief executive of OmniTRAX, based in Denver. “The grant will allow scarce capital to be spent on targeted track upgrades and other safety and efficiency enhancements.”
Shuba credited the support of Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and state transportation officials, for helping obtain the grant.
“Our focus on safety and customer service is enhanced by the partnerships we have with strong and effective transportation policy leaders in Springfield and Washington,” he said.
“Implementing PTC is vitally important to ensuring that our railroads have the highest level of safety for millions of riders and workers in Illinois and around the country,” Durbin said. “Implementing PTC saves lives. With Chicago being the largest hub in the railroad industry, Sen. Duckworth and I will continue working to ensure that our rail agencies have the federal resources needed to ensure safe and reliable transportation.”
