Josh Sanburn's Article 'Making Trains Run On Time'

In his article ‘Making Trains Run On Time’ (Time Magazine, 10 April, 2017, pp 32-34), Josh Sanburn discusses train congestion in Chicago. He attributes congestion levels to Chicago’s popularity as a transit point in North America and because Chicago has six of the seven biggest railroads in the country, with one quarter of rail traffic in the US traversing the city.

Sanburn discusses competition between commuter rail systems, who exercise right of way between morning and evening rush hours, and freight lines, which exacerbates congestion. Sanburn cites the concern of CEO of Metra, Don Orseno, that the activity of freight trains remains stagnant during these periods, and this can cause an expensive delay to product arrival.

Sanburn references

He explains that the goal of the project is to generate economic benefits ($31.5 billion) and to allow more freight trains to traverse the city smoothly, benefitting the nation due to Chicago’s position as the intermediary between railway transactions.

The author discusses the importance operative infrastructure in keeping the city running. He references a splintering stretch of rail on the 75th street corridor, utilised by freight and commuter trains. Consequently, Sanburn emphasises the importance of verbal communication between the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) and the ‘CSX’ railroad that crosses BRC’s lines to ensure that no clashes occur.

Sanburn stresses that communication systems do not reduce traffic, as trains must obtain approval from the BRC prior to transit. If these trains cannot successfully pass the CSX line, specifically at the belt junction, they could block the Metra (a commuter service). He mentions using flyovers to allow only commuter trains through the belt junction, freeing BRC lines for freight use, but suggest a lack of funding currently impedes these