(The Center Square) – Saying Illinois is the largest rail center in the country, transportation officials said Friday that a massive project to reduce bottlenecks for trains is progressing.
The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is the largest undertaking by the group Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency, or CREATE, and involves a partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, the Chicago Department of Transportation, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, and the Association of American Railroads.
“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris administration is carrying out ambitious, complex transportation projects that will shape our country’s infrastructure for generations to come,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
As part of the project, improvements are being made to the largest rail choke point in the region at Belt Junction. The project will use over $485 million from public and private investments and will involve miles of new and relocated railroad track and the construction of four new rail bridges.
A third track also will be added to the Norfolk Southern line, with the project overall reducing congestion for approximately 90 freight trains and 30 Metra commuter trains that utilize the railway on a daily basis.
“These are transformational investments that will enhance rail efficiency, reduce congestion, promote growth up and down the state and, of course, across the country,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Illinois has a rail network consisting of approximately 9,982 miles of railroad tracks, 7,792 of which are operated by Class I railroads, primarily BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.
The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is expected to be completed in 2025.
