AAR Radio Channel 13 - 160.305 (Union Station-21st Street)
AAR Radio Channel 72 - 161.190 (21st Street-Bridgeport)
AAR Radio Channel 54 - 160.920 (Bridgeport-Joliet)
With only three weekday rush hour trains each direction, this is Metra's most minor operation. But because those trains share the Joliet station with the Rock Island District trains, it is possible to ride an afternoon train to Joliet and return on a Rock Island District train. The Heritage Corridor trains use the Canadian National (former Gulf Mobile & Ohio, later Illinois Central Gulf) main line to St. Louis, which is also used by Amtrak trains. This line was originally the Joliet and Chicago Railroad, which from 1864 to 1947 was leased by the Chicago and Alton Railroad. South of Joliet, trackage eventually became owned by Southern Pacific, now Union Pacific. Between the Chicago River crossing and Brighton Park, CTA's Orange Line parallels this line. The most significant suburbs along this route are Lemont and Lockport, but these are not typical "bedroom communities" whose main function is to serve as residential areas for people working in the big city. Instead they are more like individual small towns with their own economies and industries. The Des Plaines River and other waterways in the area enabled industries to develop there early on, including an oil refinery. Freight action along the route is moderate.
Direction is southward from Chicago to Joliet
0.0 CHICAGO
1.8 21st Street (remote-Amtrak-Lake Street)
2.6 21st Street (crossing-Amtrak/remote-Lake Street)
2.7 Cermak (junction-Amtrak)
4.4 Bridgeport (junction-CN)
3.5 Bridgeport (junction-CN)
5.1 CP Brighton (crossing-CSX/NS-remote-NS-Ashland Avenue Yard)
5.3 Rockwell
5.5 Park Yard
6.6 Corwith (tower-IC/BNSF)
7.9 Lemoyne (crossing-remote-BRC dispatcher)
9.5 #45 Crossover
10.3 Glenn Yard
11.3 #47 Crossover
11.9 SUMMIT
13.1 CP Canal (crossing-remote-IHB dispatcher)
15.4 Justice
17.5 WILLOW SPRINGS
21.5 Lambert
25.3 LEMONT
26.3 Flagstone
28.5 Romeo
29.8 Romeoville
32.9 LOCKPORT
35.6 Stateville
36.6 Ohio St.
36.7 Jackson St.
37.2 JOLIET
37.3 UD Tower (tower-Metra)
38.9 South Joliet
41.0 Plaines
Between 21st Street and Bridgeport, Joliet Subdivision abandoned, with trains operating over CN Freeport Subdivision.
2 tracks from 21st Street to Joliet, CTC in use, controlled by IC Dispatcher Desk #1 in Homewood.
South of Jackson St., trackage operated by Union Pacific Railroad.
Speed Limit: 79 mph
Chicago-Corwith: 30 mph
All main tracks are shown, along with most switches within interlockings, and other tracks used by main line Metra, Amtrak and freight trains. Not shown are hand operated industrial switches.
Information is subject to change, and is based on observations, along with information from employee timetables and from the CORA (Chicago Operating Rules Association) guide dated 2001, and Google satellite imagery.
The following colors are used to indicate types of operation:
BLUE - manual interlocking
RED - centralized traffic control (CTC) or bidirectional signals
GREEN - automatic block signals (single direction, current of traffic)
BLACK - unsignaled
Thin lines across tracks indicate signals. In CTC or bidirectional signal territory, signals usually exist for both directions at all locations, except at interlockings where the signals usually are only in the direction entering the interlocking.