West Detroit Connection Project

[MiddleMI]

Hey, has anyone been by West Detroit in recent months? As you all may know, MDOT in conjunction with Conrail is involved with the West Detroit Connection Track Project, which will include the construction of an interlocking between the CN line and the Conrail line. This will allow Amtrak to cut down slightly on the delays on the Wolverine line caused by the speed restrictions through Bay City Junction. This project will allow Amtrak to no longer have to go through Bay City and switch lines at West Detroit, instead. Besides the interlocking, the project will also include the construction of a mile of new track between West Detroit and 24th Street (up past Vinewood Interlocking) allowing for a full CN double track from West Detroit to the station, and the Junction Street overpasses are being rebuilt. I believe MDOT is also building a siding near the Beaubien Interlocking right before the railway reaches Milwaukee Junction as the CN and Contrail tracks come together for a short time and then cross back off. It's pretty confusing in this area, and I don't even know the diagram of these two railways between Vinewood and Milwaukee Junction.

I'd been in contact with MDOT earlier in the year. They explained to me that their only physical involvement with the project - other than coordinating everything with the FTA - is the reconstruction of the bridges over Junction Street, and that they'd chosen Tyme Engineering for this portion of the work. However, they could give me no information on the schedule for the actual track reconstruction and new construction which involves CN-Grand Trunk Western and Conrail.

Has anyone been able to get close enough to see if construction started on this project? It is years behind schedule.

[ns8401]

If I'm not mistaken they have been doing work down there for much of this year...

[MiddleMI]

If I'm not mistaken they have been doing work down there for much of this year...

I mean, I figured as much. I think you know that I'm asking if anyone has any additional information or pictures of which part of the project is actually under construction, particularly since the parties involved had drug their feet on this project for years. I think it was well enough implied that I've been unable to make it down that way.

[ns8401]

If I'm not mistaken they have been doing work down there for much of this year...

I mean, I figured as much. I think you know that I'm asking if anyone has any additional information or pictures of which part of the project is actually under construction, particularly since the parties involved had drug their feet on this project for years. I think it was well enough implied that I've been unable to make it down that way.

You asked if anyone knew if the project had started... so I tried to answer your question. They have been working on the connection and signaling around West Detroit. I don't have photos and I haven't been down there to look but that's what I know of it.

[KenB]

The old bridge from theC&O to the GTW was demolished. The east abutment was removed and has been replaced. Work now on the west abutment. Haven't been there in a while. Don't know how to post pictures on here.

[iandt]

Good news, construction has started! A friend of my girlfriend's family works for CN and is involved with the project, and one day he was generous enough to drive us down there and show us around. This was about mid-November. There was no track laid when I saw it, but the entire line from West Detroit up to the bridges at W. Grand Blvd. has been graded, and a pretty heavy layer of gravel put down. The bridges over Junction St. have been taken out, and the abutments were in the process of being repoured, though it looked like a lengthy process. He said that the bridges being replaced wasn't in the original plan, and so the project will last much longer than expected. Afterward he drove us down the line a bit toward Delray, there's some good train watching there, though no good place to watch them without trespassing.

So, in short, the project has begun, though it looked like it'd be a while before it's completion. I haven't been down there since to verify any progress.

[MiddleMI]

The old bridge from theC&O to the GTW was demolished. The east abutment was removed and has been replaced. Work now on the west abutment. Haven't been there in a while. Don't know how to post pictures on here.

Thanks for the replies, guys. Good to see there is actual construction going on, at least MDOT's part of the project, anyway. Ken, of the bridges over junction, which is the C&O? I'm not familiar with the history of railroads of the junction.

[KenB]

The C&O bridge is the one that was removed. Furthest North bridge. Next bridge is the Wabash connecting to the GTW, next bridge with carries the railroad acccess road is the LS&MS bridge, all the rest are Michigan Central.

[detrailfan]

Progress
Appears the MDOT Junction Street Bridge and preliminary grading are complete
signaling equipment continuous rail lengths and an assembled switch were present
Nice Heavy Duty Bridge with a paved access road ( Has Gate but conveniently open )

[MiddleMI]

Progress
Appears the MDOT Junction Street Bridge and preliminary grading are complete
signaling equipment continuous rail lengths and an assembled switch were present
Nice Heavy Duty Bridge with a paved access road ( Has Gate but conveniently open )

Thanks for the updates. I'd just thought about the project earlier, today, and send off some emails to Conrail and CN to see if I could get an update since MDOT's part of the project is mostly done/underway. Got a rather curt reply back from Conrail saying that they couldn't give out information to the general public on a "private" project. It's all well-and-good to me since most of the new rail is being laid by CN, anyway. I'll wait to see if they get back.

I'd forgotten I made this thread, and actually posted something in the Michigan Line thread concerning this project, so I'll ask it here. Does anyone know exactly where the pocket siding is going in between the Beaubien Interlocking and the Amtrak station?

[twropr]

I understand that train #353 was the first train to use the West Detroit Connection today. If anyone has any details please pass them on.
Andy
Jacksonville, FL

[MiddleMI]

I understand that train #353 was the first train to use the West Detroit Connection today. If anyone has any details please pass them on.
Andy
Jacksonville, FL

I'd be really interested in this as well. It's funny how below the radar this fairly major project to remove a chokepoint as been.

[iandt]

Just saw an on-time Amtrak 351 cross Michigan Ave. on the new track (the westernmost bridge over Mich Ave) so the West Detroit connector appears to be in opeeration!

[MiddleMI]

It'd be great to see some update pictures of the bridge over Junction. Does anyone know if they had to move the existing cellphone tower at the junction, or is the new bridge slightly to the north (or south) of the old one? It seems that there was an old cellphone tower judging from aerials out of the way of the path of the old line (in the old yard), but that a few years ago they built a new one RIGHT in front of the bridge where the new track would come through.

[NYCMan]

And here is the press release.

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/a ... eck--46840

[GP30M4216]

The FRA's Facebook page posted this image about the West Detroit Project on 12/28/2015:

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hp ... e=5709A452

[MiddleMI]

The FRA's Facebook page posted this image about the West Detroit Project on 12/28/2015:

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hp ... e=5709A452

Beautiful!

Another courtesy their facebook page:





Apparently, the testing was completed just before Christmas. So glad to see this completed.

[MiddleMI]

Old rail, but I just realized I don't have a clear view of the movements/operations at for Amtrak at West Detroit prior to this project. Where exactly was the choke point prior to the construction of the connection rail? Was it at CP-West Detroit, itself, or at CP-Scotten? CP-Bay City is actually east of all this and the Wolverine never ran over it, right?