Norfolk Southern crews have been finishing work after a third main track was placed in service west of Goshen, Indiana, during the last week of April. Prior to this capital project, the Dearborn Division mainline from the junction with the Marion Branch in Goshen (CP 412) to the east end of Elkhart Yard (CP 421), was a double-track railroad. It was supplemented by the Dunlap signaled-siding, stretching 29,310 feet from CP 415 to CP 421 at Elkhart.
The result of this project was to triple-track the mainline from CP 412 all the way into Elkhart by essentially extending the old Dunlap siding east to tie directly into the Marion Branch. New universal crossovers at CP 412 allow Marion Branch trains to enter or exit any of the three tracks to the west. Also, the CP 415 control point was replaced with a new set of universal crossovers further west that connect all three tracks, and it is designated CP 417. The addition of the third track and new crossovers are expected to reduce delays for Marion Branch trains moving in and out of Elkhart Yard, as well as providing dispatchers more options for dealing with mainline traffic through the terminal.
—Scott Lindsay