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1/27/2025
CN last month completed a 4-mile siding extension project in the Chicago area that already has resulted in a 30% increase in area speed and a 17% boost in capacity.
The project set a precedent as the first track extension completed in-house, CN officials announced in an article on the Class I’s website.
The extension on the Class I's track between Chicago-area community of Sutton and the village of Spaulding, near Springfield, was deemed necessary in late 2023. CN initially targeted a completion date in second-quarter 2024, but unexpected setbacks and challenges with drainage and tree removal permits meant the project's completion might be pushed into 2025.
By December 2024, the project was still incomplete, leading CN’s Wade Clark, assistant chief of production, and his team to suggest they build the track in-house. CN’s productions teams typically focus on laying rails, ties and surfacing, but had never built track from scratch.
However, Clark’s team of 80 employees laid the ballast, installed the rails and ties and built the turnout, completing the project on Dec. 23, 2024. The extension was made operational that evening, CN officials said.