Kankakee County propulsion underground in the Loop Commuter Rail • Coordination with a new Service Extension major MED yard planned south of University Park • Consideration of various end- Kankakee and Will of-line stations in the Loop Counties, IL the City of Kankakee. The Background oversight group for the study is Chicago’s commuter rail agency, the Commuter Rail Task Force, Metra, provides service from consisting of members from downtown Chicago to the Aroma Park, Bourbonnais, suburbs over 11 operating Bradley, IDOT, Kankakee, districts, with Indiana operating a Kankakee County, Manteno, 12th line that runs on Metra tracks Monee, Peotone and Will County. into Chicago. Service to the It will review the engineering and south suburbs is on the Metra planning aspects of various Electric District (MED), which are scenarios for linking into the Metra’s only electrically powered existing Metra commuter rail lines. It was originally built by the system. Illinois Central Railroad and acquired by Metra in May 1987. Project Elements The adjacent freight railroad, The study will proceed through which continues south to New the following tasks: Orleans, is now the CN Railway. • Documentation of existing conditions The end-of-line for MED is • Assessment of future plans Governor’s State University • Conceptual engineering of (GSU) in University Park, 31-½ potential improvements miles south of the Chicago Loop. • Estimation of potential ridership A new major regional South • Evaluation of financial feasibility Suburban Airport (SSA) is • Assessment of institutional planned five miles south of GSU issues • Assessment of alternative adjacent to the CN corridor, and routes and Metra Lines the whole region south to the City Some of the more challenging between Kankakee and of Kankakee (24 miles south of issues to be addressed by the Chicago GSU) is growing rapidly. The last study include: • Evaluation of various station 12 miles, however are outside • Coordination with proposed, sites for each municipality Metra’s legislated 6-county extended Metra service and along the line region. Midwest high speed rail • Potential utilization of existing service on or adjacent to the station structures and the Parsons Brinckerhoff Role new SSA and the city of current Amtrak station in Kankakee Kankakee. • Evaluating and proposing solutions to the institutional Contact Person: issues associated with operations outside the Mr. Mike Lammey legislated Metra region Transportation Planner • Assessment of diesel- County of Kankakee electric, diesel multiple unit 189 East Court Street (DMU), electric multiple unit Kankakee, IL 60901 (EMU), or even dual-mode (815) 937-2940 motive power In February 2004 Parsons • Consideration of cross- Brinckerhoff (PB) was hired by platform transfers to Kankakee County to do a 12- accommodate diesels in the month study of the feasibility of suburbs and electric providing commuter rail service to