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CREATE: Decongesting Chicago’s Rails – and Neighborhoods

This WalkShop will provide an overview of the CREATE Program, a $4.4 billion region-wide freight and passenger railroad infrastructure improvement plan. This first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S. DOT, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation’s freight railroads is critical to maintaining Chicago’s status as the busiest rail hub in the United States. Each day, nearly 1,300 trains pass through our region (500 freight and 760 passenger). This represents one-fourth of the nation’s freight rail traffic, an average of 37,500 freight railcars per day. We will visit the sites of several completed and planned railroad capacity enhancement and grade separation projects on the South and Southwest Sides of Chicago that affect freight, passenger, and commuter trains, as well as local circulation of people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving. We will also visit one of the 19 intermodal freight rail yards in the region and learn how containerized freight is transferred between trains and trucks. The tour will not only explain how the CREATE projects are improving freight transportation in and around Chicago, but also how they are enhancing the functionality and safety of streets, improving the quality of life, and mitigating any undesirable effects in the neighborhoods near railroad infrastructure.

Mode: Shuttle Bus


This Walkshop is supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation.