CHICAGO — Speaking today at an event to celebrate new grants for Chicago’s CREATE project, U.S. Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill.) called on passenger carriers and freight operators to reach an agreement wrapping up details of a federal grant application for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, which would involve infrastructure work in the region as well as major upgrades to Chicago Union Station.
The comments came after Durbin, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) sent a letter today (Dec. 13) to leaders of the companies and agencies involved similarly urging them to complete a deal. The application deadline for grants under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program is Monday, Dec. 16; Amtrak and the Illinois Department of Transportation are preparing an application.
“We have a major project pending in this state called CHIP,” Durbin said at the press conference at CSX Transportation’s Forest Hill Intermodal yard, where the Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program was celebrating $291.1 million in new federal grants. “It involves Chicago’s Union Station.” The program calls for track realignments or additions on Chicago’s South Side and in Michigan, along with station improvements [see “Chicago Hub project vies for big chunk of federal grant money,” News Wire, Aug. 3, 2023]. “It is a critical element in modernizing railroads in Chicago and the state of Illinois. There’s a billion dollars on the table, a billion federal dollars, if we can come forward with an agreement by the principals who have been at the negotiating table for months and months and months.”
“I’ve been nice about it … I’ve talked with all of them. It boils down to this: Amtrak, Metra, Canadian National, and UP have a deadline of midnight Monday night to come to an agreement. Enough is enough. Reach an agreement and let’s move forward.”
In their letter to CEOs Stephen Gardner (Amtrak), Canadian National (Tracy Robinson), Metra (Jim Derwinski) and Union Pacific (Jim Vena), the legislators write that there is “much at stake — not only for Chicago, but for the entire Midwest — that hinges on successful submission of a robust application f or one of the few remaining rounds of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. … If all parties fail to submit and support a coordinated application, the entire region will be at a disadvantage to plan for the future. Aside from the much-needed upgrades that CHIP would make to the internal station, upgrading and enhancing the infrastructure is desperately needed to more safely and efficiently move passenger trains in and out of the station.”
A press release from Durbin’s office says Union Pacific has been helpful in advancing the project since Vena met with the legislators in February.
— Editor’s note: A portion of this story originally appeared in an earlier article on the CREATE event in Chicago. It has been expanded and updated to reflect the release of the letter from the three legislators.
