At Gilman (MP 81.1), there is a connector to the St. Louis line departing to the west, a passenger station with platform and depot to the west, IC’s line from St. Louis trails in from the southwest, there are four extra tracks to grain silos to the west, the line reverts to single track, and the TP&W line to Peoria crosses the IC at grade (50-30 on the crossing), and the main line continues past a grade crossing, a signal bridge for the flat crossing, two grade crossings, extra track on the west side, two extra tracks on the east side, a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing, a road alongside to the east, four grade crossings, a bridge over a stream, a grade crossing in Danforth, and a grade crossing at the south end of the 11,025 ft. siding on the west side at Ashkum (MP 73.1), with a dirt road grade crossing in the siding.
There is a grade crossing, dual road bridges overhead, bringing a divided highway to the east side of the line, two grade crossings in Clifton (MP 69.1), a detector at MP 68.7, Chebanse (MP 64.3), a grade crossing, South Otto (MP 61.6), a bridge over a stream, two grade crossings in town, a 13,224 ft. siding on the west side at Otto (MP 60.3), where a branch to Herscher trails in from the west, with signal bridges and a crossover in the middle of the siding, extra track on the east side, a dirt road grade crossing, and a spur trailing in from industry to the east, all within the siding, Gar Creek (MP 57.5), where the siding ends, a bridge over a street, the bridge over the Kankakee River, where a speed limit of 50-30 starts, extending past a bridge over a street (same bridge as over the river), extra track to the east, a grade crossing, and a grade crossing at the south end of the station, to Kankakee (MP 55.9), with platform, umbrella shed, and brick depot to the east, where the old Big Four line to Indianapolis and Cincinnati used to trail into the IC to the southeast (with that line now operated by Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern over part of its length), a road bridge overhead, a grade crossing, the former-Conrail line to Streator crosses at grade, and a 30,655 ft. siding on the east side begins, with four extra tracks to the east and to the west.
The line heads north past a grade crossing in town, a spur from industry to the east trailing in, Bradley, a road bridge overhead, dual road bridges overhead, a spur heading away to industry on the east side, a grade crossing in town, Tucker, a grade crossing with a divided road, and a grade crossing, all within the 30,655 ft. siding on the east side which ends at Indian Oaks (MP 49.5), a road alongside to the east, and a grade crossing, and the line edges just north of east at Manteno Hospital, passing four grade crossings in town, Manteno, a detector at MP 45.7, three grade crossings, a road alongside to the east, a grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing in town, a grade crossing, the former location of a bridge carrying an erstwhile Milwaukee Road line overhead, an old wooden depot on the east side, a grade crossing in town, the 10,519 ft. siding on the west side at Peotone (MP 40.5), with a dirt road grade crossing within the siding, a grade crossing, two dirt track grade crossings, and a road alongside to the east.
The Chicago urban area is reached at Monee, leaving the countryside behind, past three road bridges overhead, and a road alongside to the west. Lineside industry changes from grain elevators to manufacturing plants, with a a spur from industry to the east, a grade crossing at the industry, and a spur from industry to the east trailing in. The single track main becomes triple track (30 mph on the switch, 50 mph on track 1 and 40 mph on tracks 2 and 3 thereafter) at Stuenkel (MP 31.5), where there are four extra tracks to the east, and the electrified double-track suburban line appears alongside to the west at its University Park terminal at the same location. The IC main line runs parallel to the Metra Electric the rest of the way into Chicago. Adjacent to that line's Richton station, a connector departs the main line to the northeast, to join the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern line passing below, just to the north.