[Mr Downtown]

With Metra—sooner or later, at a cost yet to be determined—taking over operation of the UP lines, there's actually the opportunity to swap the terminals and maintenance facilities such that A-2 would go nearly unused. You'd send the NCS, MD-W, and MD-N trains to Ogilvie, and the UP-W trains to the north side of Union Station. Only Amtrak's Milwaukee trains would have to cross over at A-2.

Will that happen? Doubtful. The situation with UP won't be resolved for another five years, while Metra is anxious to rebuild A-2 with whatever federal money is about to get shaken loose. And the feds give grants for big construction projects—not for innovative thinking.