Lake Forest officials and residents are scrambling to respond to the proposed construction of a side train track of at least 10,000 feet near the Academy Woods subdivision.
Amtrak wants to increase service on its Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago from seven round trips a day to 10 round trips a day.
The additional trips will allow the Amtrack Hiawatha service to attract an additional 100,000 passengers per year in 2019, according to an environmental assessment by the Illinois and Wisconsin departments of transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration, the agencies involved in the project.
To make that possible, Amtrak has proposed five projects along the mainline tracks that would allow trains to increase speed and reduce travel times. One of those projects would involve building a side track near the Academy Woods Subdivision, located north of Kennedy road between Waukegan Road and Interstate 94, that is long enough to hold a typical freight train.
An environmental impact study was released to the city of Lake Forest in mid October, said City Manager Bob Kiely during a town hall meeting Tuesday. The city hired Hanson Engineering to evaluate the study and make a presentation during the Nov. 7 city council meeting.
The public comment period on the projects, however, ends on Nov. 15. That concerns JoAnne Desmond, president of the Academy Woods Homeowners Association.
Desmond passed out sheets expressing concern over potential noise, vibrations and air pollution from idling trains along with concerns over how the project could impact the ecosystems of the Middlefork Savanna and wetlands.
Mayor Don Schoenheider said that the city government and residents are together in responding to the proposed project.
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