C&NW Kinzie Bridge Reactivation Rumor April 2017

[bonzoleum]

I was heading to a dentist app't at Northwestern last week and I strolled by the old bridge to snap some pics. A UP truck pulled up and I started to chat with one of the guys. He told me that they (UP) are going to re-track from Canal to Trump tower. He said it was a "use it or lose it" thing. Anyone else have any info?

[TBurke]

My guess is that it relates to a franchise agreement that the C&NW would have made with the City of Chicago in the 1800s to use Carroll Avenue to run its tracks and trains over.  If a train does not use it within X number of years then the city would probably move to legally vacate UP off and UP would lose all leverage if it wanted to sell air rights, for example.  The first C&NW downtown depot was on that line and east of the North Branch of the Chicago River. 

I believe this is the same reason Chicago Terminal ran trains on both ends of its C&E trackage a number of years ago despite having no customers at either end, including storing gondolas. 

[themats]

Does this mean we can expect some sort of move over the tracks?

[chrism]

There is still talk of a commuter train but I doubt that will happen.

[TBurke]

That talk sort of died in the late 1990s.  A circulator concept was brought up of a streetcar line using the UP/C&NW Carroll Avenue ROW to Michigan Avenue then it faded away.  I will post at some point articles about it.