This partially completed project is finally back “on track” after the final federal funding was approved in May.
Because the official maps of the project show separate “before” and “after” maps, I’ve taken it upon myself to draw the “before” line myself onto the “after” map, I’ve taken it upon myself to create a composite using MS Paint. The red drawn line is the current UP (ex-SP, ex-ICG, ex-GM&O, ex-Alton) line that will be abandoned. The blue drawn line is the new route.
To date, the overpasses for the new line have been built from the south end up to and including Carpenter Street. The only sign of the planned overpass over North Grand is the fact that the McDonalds at 9th and North Grand has already been demolished for some months. The state EPA office has also moved to White Oaks Mall to make way for this construction.
From a railfan perspective, this is both good and bad. It is bad because it will move the trains 7 blocks further from my house, and also eliminate several grade crossings which can currently be used for trainwatching. It is good because it concentrates both UP and NS onto one right of way (still separate railroads, but right next to each other) for a long stretch, allowing one to “double dip”. Currently the only place that can be done is a short stretch south of town. As these are by far the roads with the most trains in Springfield, this means the vast majority of all the rail traffic in town would now go right past the new passenger station on 11th street.
No, I don’t know what they plan to do with the current line when it is abandoned. In 2022 at a community meeting I asked then-Mayor Jim Langfelder about it, and he said something about a light rail / trolley line. I did not believe it then and don’t believe it now. Downtown Springfield is too small to need a trolley to get from one place to another within it.
Plans for a 3rd Street Greenway seem more realistic, but still pretty ambitious for Springfield where, as we’ve seen, things change slowly. Anyone who was in Atlanta when the Beltline was being planned knows that these kinds of things can take much longer than expected, even in a much larger city,