Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) is a project to improve the efficiency of the rail network in the Chicago
area by building, amongst other things, flyover
s to separate rail traffic on conflicting lines. While the need is fairly clear, finance for the project is stalled in the United States Congress
.
s.
The congestion in the Chicago area is predicted to lead to severe disruption by the late 2010s without the completion of the CREATE program.
received $133 million to construct a flyover for Metra
trackage above a Norfolk Southern route, eliminating a grade-level crossing. 138 trains a day operate through the junction, which is the cause of the majority of delays in the Midwest for Amtrak
trains. Planned since 2002, the project was originally planned to begin construction in late 2010, with a completion date in 2012. On 22 June 2011, it was announced that the state of Illinois, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the Federal Railway Administration had signed a final agreement for financing the project, with the federal government paying 95% of the cost, with construction to begin later in the year and a completion date sometime in 2013.
to LaSalle Street Station
, in order for high-speed passenger trains to operate into Union Station.
estimated to cost around $3 billion, up from an initial predicted cost of $1 billion. $230 million is to be supplied by railroads that are part of the program, with the remainder coming from governments at federal, state and local levels. In July 2010, a $100 million TIGER
grant from the federal government was finalized. As of late 2010, a total of around $320 million had been committed to the project, with an additional $133 million to be provided from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area by building, amongst other things, flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
s to separate rail traffic on conflicting lines. While the need is fairly clear, finance for the project is stalled in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Problems
The tracks and junctions in the Chicago area have grown with little coordination between the railroads and the city since the first railroads arrived in the 1830s. There are a large number of at-grade crossings, sometimes not located a train length apart which is a problem as train lengths have grown. Some flyovers exist but do not always have clearance for tall or double-stack trains. Some connections that would create short cuts for some traffic are missing. There are also a lot of highway crossings at gradeLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s.
The congestion in the Chicago area is predicted to lead to severe disruption by the late 2010s without the completion of the CREATE program.
Projects
The program is composed of a total of 71 separate projects, of which 46 are eliminating rail junctions and the remainder are eliminating grade crossings. Of these, as of January 2011, a total of 11 had been fully completed, nine were under construction, another eight were having designs finalized, and 15 were having environmental studies carried out.Englewood Junction
A junction in Englewood, ChicagoEnglewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
received $133 million to construct a flyover for Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
trackage above a Norfolk Southern route, eliminating a grade-level crossing. 138 trains a day operate through the junction, which is the cause of the majority of delays in the Midwest for Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
trains. Planned since 2002, the project was originally planned to begin construction in late 2010, with a completion date in 2012. On 22 June 2011, it was announced that the state of Illinois, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern and the Federal Railway Administration had signed a final agreement for financing the project, with the federal government paying 95% of the cost, with construction to begin later in the year and a completion date sometime in 2013.
Passenger train stations
As part of CREATE, Metra plans to reroute some commuter trains from Chicago Union StationUnion Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
to LaSalle Street Station
LaSalle Street Station
LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 S. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, serving Metra's Rock Island District. It was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968 and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1978. The...
, in order for high-speed passenger trains to operate into Union Station.
Other projects
- Construction of additional Union PacificUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
mainline trackage near Proviso Yard - Signaling and grade-separation improvements to the Indiana Harbor Belt RailroadIndiana Harbor Belt RailroadThe Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is a Class III railroad in the United States. The line comprises of track—30 miles of single mainline track, of double-main track and of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of Chicago in Franklin Park, Illinois, traveling southeast...
- General improvements to roadways near railroad overpasses
- Additional trackage, improved signaling and grade separations on CSX trackage in AlsipAlsip, IllinoisAlsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,725 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Chicago.Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Alsip, the owner of a brickyard that opened there in 1885...
Funding
CREATE is a public-private partnershipPublic-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
estimated to cost around $3 billion, up from an initial predicted cost of $1 billion. $230 million is to be supplied by railroads that are part of the program, with the remainder coming from governments at federal, state and local levels. In July 2010, a $100 million TIGER
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery is a supplementary discretionary grant program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009...
grant from the federal government was finalized. As of late 2010, a total of around $320 million had been committed to the project, with an additional $133 million to be provided from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.