Kankakee County (K3) Commuter Transit Feasibility Study Phase II (KACOT-II)

A New Metra Station and Community Center in Lake Villa. (A possible concept on KACOT-II)

Project Description

Alternatives included a high performance shuttle to the Metra Electric District (MED) using a new independent commuter rail line in the Canadian National Railway (CN) Corridor and bus rapid transit. A shuttle would extend from Kankakee north to Peotone, where an extension of the current MED is planned. Expanded Amtrak service was also studied.

The shuttle's terminus will likely be somewhere between Bourbonnais near St. George Road on the north and south of Kankakee near Exit 308 of I-57.

New commuter passenger stops or stations would be located approximately every four miles to provide convenient service to communities along the route. The map on the Resources page shows the proposed commuter rail alignment and preliminary station locations.

Typical Bus Rapid Transit Vehicle

The recommended commuter rail alternative would use self-propelled coaches (known as diesel multiple units) that could travel up to 79 mph depending on the distance and number of stations. These vehicles would use new tracks next to but separate from the CN tracks. Although Amtrak provides intercity passenger service on the CN, the long distances between stops mandated for that service and schedules driven by distant cities prevents Amtrak from providing a viable commuter service in the corridor.

The bus rapid transit alternative would use a combination of comfortable, modern buses; selective use of bus lanes; prioritized signaling to mitigate congestion delays; high quality stations or stops; modern, fast fare collection; and express service to provide a high level of service.

The service plan for these technologies would be designed to coordinate with MED service, minimize waiting times for transfers, and allow for passengers to wait in the comfort of their vehicle for the other system's arrival in either direction.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning developed ridership estimates for the commuter rail alternative, using their regional model and socio-economic forecasts prepared in the Phase II study. It projected that by 2030 the commuter rail alternative would attract in excess of 8,000 passenger boardings per weekday.

Typical Diesel Multiple Unit Railcar

The Phase II study estimated that the capital costs of a minimum operable segment of the commuter rail service (i.e., St. George Road in Bourbonnais to a MED transfer station in Peotone) would be about $300 million.

Further information on American made typical diesel multiple units is available at www.coloradorailcar.com. A Federal Transit Administration (FTA) report on "Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit for Decision-Making" is available at www.fta.dot.gov/documents/CBRT.pdf.

Also of interest is a Federal Transit Administration brochure from the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute entitled Bus Rapid Transit: Elements, Performance, Benefits.

In addition to the more detailed ridership estimate work described above, the Phase II project included the following activities:

A preliminary inventory was made of the right of way needed from the CN to build a separate commuter rail line. This inventory allowed engineers to make a refined cost estimate for constructing a totally separate commuter rail line adjacent to the CN.
On December 15, 2006, a Transit Supportive Land Use Workshop was held in Manteno for elected and staff members of the municipalities along the corridor and other technical members of the counties and IDOT. It addressed the land use and development issues and opportunities brought to communities by high quality transit, and included a tour of transit oriented development projects along several Metra lines in Chicago's south suburbs. See the Resources page for material from the workshop.
A proactive public education and outreach campaign kept many groups who could be affected by the transit system abreast of the Study’s progress. This campaign included newsletters, development of a web site, public meetings and outreach that was specifically tailored to ensure that minority and disadvantaged groups were aware of the study.
On Novermber 5, 2007, an Intermodal Freight Terminal Workshop was held in Manteno. The main presentation by Earth Tech is on the Resources page.

Next Steps

The study was completed in December 2007. It will be used to support a Kankakee County application for funding an Alternatives Analysis, which is the first step of the Federal Transit Administration's "New Starts" transit funding program. The multiple steps of that process could take 8 to 10 years before the planned service would actually start operating.

The sequence of phases in the New Starts program are shown in the Federal Transit Administration's Reporting Instructions for the Section 5309 New Starts Criteria, May 2007, available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/newstarts/planning_environment_2610.html

Task Force

The Illinois Department of Transportation provided major funding for this effort with local financial participation from the following governmental entities:

Partners

Some of the organizations who have been involved or will be involved in this project are the following:

Task force members (See above)
Other Government Agencies
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
- Regional Transportation Authority
Railroads and transit agencies:

Other similar Projects in the Chicago Region

Other Related Sites

Midwest High Speed Rail Association

Consultant Team

Earth Tech was the prime contractor for the KACOT-II project. The Earth Tech staff who worked on the project are located in the company's downtown Chicago office, at 10 South Riverside Plaza. Three subcontractors to Earth Tech were involved in selected technical areas:

The al Chalibi Group, Chicago, IL, for socio-economic data in the area.
HNTB Corporation through their Chicago Office, in transit supportive land use.
South of Chicago, Crete, IL, in public education and outreach.