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Canadian National makes great strides in completing its colossal expansion at Kirk Yard.
Kirk Yard in Gary, Ind., is Canadian National's largest classification yard in the U.S. and the center of CN's Chicago Terminal operations. The 350-acre yard was acquired as part of the railroad's purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E) in 2009. CN is currently in the midst of a massive expansion of the yard and relocation of its Chicago-area locomotive repair shop to the upgraded freight car classification facility in Northwest Indiana.
The new Kirk Yard can handle longer and more efficient trains, has improved interchange with other railroads and consolidated CN's switching operation in the Chicago area at one primary yard. CN notes that Kirk Yard delivers significant gains in productivity and creates new capacity for growth in the Chicago area.
Increasing capacity
The expanded Kirk Yard will handle traffic from across the Chicago Terminal and beyond. Prior to the EJ&E, CN had switching yards at Markham, Glenn, Hawthorne and Schiller Park, 111.
"The acquisition and expansion of Kirk Yard has allowed CN to move most switching and interchange with other carriers to one larger classification yard," explained Patrick Waldron, manager, public affairs U.S. "The SI 42-million expansion's goal was to create that primary classification yard with the extension and addition of receiving and departure tracks, classification tracks, hump capacity and the construction of a new administration/tower building."
The yard's reconstruction increases its capability...