AAR Radio Channel 44 - 160.770 (Chicago-Tower A-5)
AAR Radio Channel 94 - 161.520 (Tower A-5-Tower B-12)
AAR Radio Channel 79 - 161.295 (Forest Park-Fond Du Lac)
Metra trains started operating on this line on August 19, 1996, making it the Chicago area's first new commuter rail line in 70 years. Metra's Milwaukee District West Line is followed to Tower B-12 in Franklin Park. River Grove is the last station on the Milwaukee District before Tower B-12, and is a stop for the new Metra trains. At Tower B-12, the new trains turn north onto the Canadian National Railroad. Canadian National had acquired Wisconsin Central, a regional railroad which had been spun off by the Soo Line, after the Soo Line had acquired the Milwaukee Road. This line was first opened in 1886 by an earlier company known as the Wisconsin Central Railroad. The area between Franklin Park and Buffalo Grove is mostly industrial or warehouses. The line also passes Canadian National's yard at Schiller Park. One Metra station is near an O'Hare Airport remote parking lot, where shuttle buses connect with the O'Hare people mover system. In Des Plaines is Deval interlocking, where the line crosses two Union Pacific (ex C&NW) lines. Trains do not stop in Des Plaines, which has always been served by the UP Northwest Line trains. All of the new suburban stations were funded by the suburbs themselves, including Prospect Heights, the first stop after O'Hare. It is this support from each suburb which helped make this new Metra line possible, in these days when the development of transit projects is largely contingent on the dwindling availability of federal and state funds. All suburban stations have sufficient parking, an important requirement for new commuter lines developed in this age of the automobile. The route becomes more rustic north of Buffalo Grove, although there are some pockets where large suburban homes have been constructed. A few lakes are visible along the northern portion of the route. At Leithton is a crossing with the former Elgin Joliet & Eastern, acquired by CN in 2009, with plans to increase traffic switching between the former railroads. And at Prairie Crossing is the crossing with the Milwaukee District North Line. The new Metra trains now stop at Prairie Crossing, and in 2004, Milwaukee District trains began stopping there. The Wisconsin Central was originally single track CTC, but extensive double tracking enabled Metra to increase service effective January 30, 2006.
Direction is northward from Chicago to Fond Du Lac
10.9 Madison St. (connection-CSX)
11.0 Forest Park
15.2 Park
15.5 Tower B-12 (CP crossing/junction-Metra)
15.8 BELMONT AVE.
15.9 Junction 16
16.5 CP Lead
17.0 Junction 17
17.4 SCHILLER PARK
17.8 Schiller Park Yard
18.6 ROSEMONT
18.7 Junction 19
19.8 O'HARE TRANSFER
20.4 Junction 20
20.9 O'Hare
22.8 Des Plaines
23.4 Deval (UP crossing/remote-CY)
24.7 Prospect
26.6 PROSPECT HEIGHTS
27.4 South Wheeling
29.9 WHEELING
30.2 North Wheeling
32.0 BUFFALO GROVE
34.4 PRAIRIE VIEW
35.7 VERNON HILLS
37.9 Leithton (EJ&E crossing)
38.6 EJ&E Jct.
39.6 MUNDELEIN
40.5 Lomond
43.4 PRAIRIE CROSSING
44.0 Grayslake (CP crossing)
46.3 Ram
46.5 WASHINGTON ST.
48.5 ROUND LAKE BEACH
50.7 LAKE VILLA
52.5 North Lake Villa
55.7 ANTIOCH
56.2 Coach Yard
57.5 Stateline
58.3 Trevor
61.1 Silver Lake
71.3 Nestle
72.7 Burlington
77.7 Honey Creek
80.6 Midway
86.2 Mukwonago
90.9 Vernon
97.2 Grand Ave. (junction-WSOR)
97.7 Waukesha
102.6 Duplainville (CP crossing/remote-CP dispatcher)
106.6 Sussex
117.7 Rugby Jct. (junction-WSOR)
122.6 Slinger (WSOR crossing)
129.5 Allenton
134.3 Marsh
138.3 Theresa
142.8 Lomira
147.1 Byron
153.3 Valley Siding
156.1 Fond Du Lac
157.2 Shops East
158.4 Shops Yard
1 and 2 tracks from Forest Park to Fond Du Lac. CTC in use, controlled by Wisconsin Central Eastern Division dispatcher in Stevens Point. Mileposts are original Soo Line distances from Grand Central Station.
Speed Limit: 60 mph
All main tracks are shown, along with most switches within interlockings, and other tracks used by main line Metra and freight trains. Not shown are hand operated industrial switches.
Between Chicago Union Station and Tower B-12, trains use trackage shared with the Milwaukee District West Line (CP's Elgin Subdivision).
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.