# Chicago Metro Area getting its first new freight railroad in over a century?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 26, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241 "2016-03-26T15:20:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241/1 "2016-03-26T15:20:45Z")

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[Privately-funded eight billion dollar Great Lakes Basin Railroad would be a beltway from La Porte, Indiana, to Milton, Wisconsin.](http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160227/NEWS/160229571) Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. is offering up to $20K/acre for land on the proposed route.

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**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241/2 "2016-03-26T15:32:37Z")

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Interesting. Kind of a latter-day, modest equivalent to the interstate beltways, mainly built 1955-1975, which both responded to and encouraged the linking up of suburbs and exurbs, until many became “Edge Cities” – economic engines in their own right, not just residential neighborhoods.

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**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241/3 "2016-03-27T04:23:05Z")

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Let’s just say interest from the Class I railroads is modest at best.

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**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-metro-area-getting-its-first-new-freight-railroad-in-over-a-century/750241/4 "2016-03-27T08:33:17Z")

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Don’t break out the champagne just yet. One of the principle railroads, Union Pacific, is getting cold feet.

[http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2016/03/23/chicago-rail-bypass-could-be-in-trouble-after.html?ana=yahoo](http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2016/03/23/chicago-rail-bypass-could-be-in-trouble-after.html?ana=yahoo)

UP is being hit by dropping coal and oil shipments. The enlarged Panama canal opening this summer may hit container carloads as well.