CREATE

CREATE Projects

Project Fact Sheets

The CREATE program will enhance the quality of life of Chicago-area residents by bringing critically needed rail improvements to communities throughout the region. The 70 projects include:

25 new roadway overpasses or underpasses at locations where traffic (auto, pedestrian, bicycle, bus) currently crosses railroad tracks at grade level
6 new rail overpasses or underpasses to separate passenger and freight train tracks
36 freight rail projects including extensive upgrades of tracks, switches and signal systems
Viaduct improvement projects – improvements to existing viaducts in Chicago
Grade crossing safety enhancements – improvements to existing railroad grade crossings throughout the region
Common Operational Picture (COP) – integration of information from dispatch systems of all major railroads in the region into a single display

Most of the CREATE improvements are grouped along or near four rail corridors running through the Chicago region. Each project is named according to the corridor it lies along or its project category (grade separations and towers).

Western Avenue Corridor – WA projects
Beltway Corridor – B projects
East West Corridor – EW projects
Passenger Corridor – P projects
Grade Separations – GS projects
Towers - T projects

Beltway Corridor
Proj. No.	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
B1	CP double & IHB connection	Franklin Park	Reduces delays to commuter and freight trains and to motorists at nearby at-grade crossings.
B2	Proviso 3rd Main	Bellwood/Berkeley/Elmhurst/Melrose Park	Adds capacity for commuter and freight trains and increases pedestrian safety at stations.
B3	Melrose connection	Bellwood	Adds capacity into and out of a major freight rail yard, and reduces delays on an adjacent freight railroad.
B4*	TCS LaGrange to CP Hill	LaGrange/LaGrange Park/McCook	Adds capacity and reduces delays for freight trains, and reduces delay to motorists at nearby at-grade crossings.
B5*	TCS LaGrange to CP Hill	Bellwood/Broadview/Melrose Park	Adds capacity and reduces delays for freight trains, and reduces delay to motorists at nearby at-grade crossings.
B6	McCook	McCook	Increases speed and capacity for freight trains, and reduces delay to intercity passenger trains.
B8	TCS Argo to Canal	Bedford Park/Bridgeview/Summit	Increases freight train speed and reduces delay to intercity passenger trains where their paths cross.
B9**	Argo	Chicago/Bedford Park/Bridgeview/Summit	Greatly increases freight train capacity and allows more evenly distributed train traffic throughout the regional rail network.
B12	CP Francisco	Alsip/Blue Island	Adds capacity and reduces delays for freight trains through a major corridor.
B15	TCS Blue Island	Blue Island/Dolton/Riverdale	Increases speed and capacity for freight trains, and reduces delay to intercity passenger trains where their paths cross.
B16	Thornton Jct	South Holland	Creates a track connection that allows more evenly distributed freight train traffic throughout the regional rail network
East-West Corridor
Proj. No.	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
EW1**	Argo	Chicago/Bedford Park/Bridgeview/Summit	Greatly increases freight train capacity and allows more evenly distributed train traffic throughout the regional rail network.
EW2***	80th Street	Chicago	Greatly increases freight and commuter train speed and capacity by removing the most severe rail bottleneck in the region; eliminates 9,000 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters.
EW3	Pullman Jct	Chicago	Adds capacity and reduces delay for freight trains through a major corridor.
EW4	CP 509	Chicago	Increases freight train speeds and capacity through a connection, reducing main line delays.
Grade Separations
Proj. No.	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
GS1	63rd St/Harlem Ave	Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 17,600 vehicles (1,100 of which are delayed) and 192 CTA/Pace buses per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS2	Central Ave/54th St	Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 23,200 vehicles (700 of which are delayed) per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS3a	Morgan St/Pershing Road	Chicago	Reduces traffic delays by either eliminating a grade crossing or installing dynamic signage to direct motorists to use alternative routes when the crossing is blocked.
GS4	Central Ave	Chicago Ridge/Oak Lawn	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 20,000 vehicles (2,500 of which are delayed) per day.
GS5a	Grand Ave	Franklin Park	Eliminates a grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for motorists and pedestrians.
GS6	25th Ave	Melrose Park/Bellwood	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 21,000 vehicles (5,000 of which are delayed) and 38 Pace buses per day.
GS7	Belmont Rd	Downers Grove	Eliminates grade crossing adjacent to a commuter train station, reducing congestion and improving safety for 20,000 vehicles (3,500 of which are delayed) per day.
GS8a	5th Ave	Maywood	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 6,600 vehicles (1,000 of which are delayed) and 66 Pace buses per day.
GS9	Archer Ave/Kenton Ave	Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 18,000 vehicles (2,600 of which are delayed) and 259 CTA buses per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS10	47th St/East Ave	LaGrange/McCook	Eliminates two grade crossings, reducing congestion and improving safety for 12,000 vehicles (2,200 of which are delayed) per day.
GS11	Columbus Ave/Maplewood Ave	Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 8,200 vehicles (1,200 of which are delayed) per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS12	1st Ave	Maywood	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 29,000 vehicles (4,000 of which are delayed) per day.
GS13	31st St	LaGrange Park	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 18,000 vehicles (2,400 of which are delayed) per day.
GS14	71st St	Bridgeview	Eliminates a grade crossing in a major industrial area adjacent to a 20,000-seat multipurpose stadium near the entrance to a major rail yard complex (which requires slow train movements and lengthy gate down times).
GS15a	130th St/Torrence Ave	Chicago	Eliminates two grade crossings adjacent to a major assembly plant, reducing congestion and improving safety for 32,000 vehicles per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS16	Irving Park Rd	Bensenville	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 37,000 vehicles (6,400 of which are delayed) and 31 Pace buses per day.
GS17	Western Ave	Blue Island	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 9,000 vehicles (1,700 of which are delayed) and 80 Pace buses per day.
GS18	Harlem Ave	Berwyn /Riverside	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 32,000 vehicles (6,300 of which are delayed) and 139 Pace buses per day.
GS19***	71st St/Bell Ave	Chicago	Eliminates a grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for motorists and pedestrians.
GS20	87th St/Rockwell St	Chicago /Evergreen Park	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 32,000 vehicles (3,000 of which are delayed) and 193 CTA buses per day.
GS21a	95th St/Eggleston Ave	Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 27,500 vehicles (3,800 of which are delayed) and 885 CTA/Pace buses per day. This is a “911 Critical Crossing.”
GS22	115th St	Alsip	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 13,600 vehicles (2,800 of which are delayed) per day.
GS23a	Cottage Grove	Dolton	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 15,300 vehicles (1,700 of which are delayed) per day.
GS24	Maple Ave	Brookfield	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 12,000 vehicles (2,500 of which are delayed) per day.
GS25	Roosevelt Road	West Chicago	Eliminates grade crossing, reducing congestion and improving safety for 21,000vehicles (3,800 of which are delayed) per day.
Passenger Corridor
Proj. No.	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
P1	63rd & State	Chicago	Removes conflict point between commuter, passenger, and freight trains, eliminating 7,500 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters and Amtrak’s most severe delay point in the Midwest; also increases commuter track capacity for future service (see project P2).
P2***	74th Street	Chicago	Frees up space for increased intercity passenger rail trains at Chicago Union Station by shifting a growing commuter rail line to another downtown terminal that has spare capacity, eliminating 18,500 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters and increasing speed and capacity for all trains.
P3***	75th Street	Chicago	Takes a growing commuter rail route out of the path of freight trains, eliminating 5,000 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters.
P4	Grand Crossing	Chicago	Provides a more direct routing for passenger trains from the south, shaving 10-15 minutes off of train schedules relative to current routing.
P5	Brighton Park	Chicago	Removes conflict point between commuter, passenger, and freight trains, eliminating 4,500 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters and even greater delays for passenger trains.
P6	Canal	Summit	Removes conflict point between commuter, passenger, and freight trains, eliminating 3,000 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters and even greater delays for passenger trains.
P7	Chicago Ridge	Chicago Ridge	Removes conflict point between commuter and freight trains, eliminating 6,000 annual passenger hours of delay for commuters.
Western Avenue Corridor
Proj. No.	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
WA1	Ogden Jct.	Chicago	Increases freight and commuter train speed and capacity by modernizing train control system; reduces delays for commuter trains.
WA2	TCS Blue Island Sub	Chicago	Adds capacity, increases speed, and reduces delays for freight trains.
WA3	Ashland Ave. & CJ Mains	Chicago	Adds capacity, increases speed, and reduces delays for freight trains.
WA4	BNSF Horseshoe	Chicago	Provides new connection between major freight yards and main line tracks, adding capacity and reducing delays.
WA5	Corwith Tower	Chicago	Increases freight train speed, reliability, and capacity at the eastern terminal of the busiest transcontinental intermodal corridor in the U.S.
WA7	Brighton Park	Chicago	Provides new connection between freight train routes, adding capacity and reducing delays.
WA10	Blue Island Jct.	Blue Island	Improves a track connection that allows more evenly distributed freight train traffic throughout the regional rail network
WA11	Dolton Interlocking	Chicago /Dolton/Riverdale	Increases freight train speed and reduces delay at a point where multiple train paths cross.
Other Projects
	Project Name	Location	Key Benefit†
	Common Operational Picture	Chicago and suburbs (Chicago Terminal District)	Allows dispatchers to identify congestion and reroute trains in real time, improving operations for all 1,300 daily freight, commuter, and passenger trains in the region.
	Viaduct Improvement Program	Chicago (various locations)	Improved roadways, sidewalks, and curbs under railroad viaducts to enhance safety and security for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
	Grade Crossing Safety Program	Suburbs (various locations)	Improves motorist and pedestrian safety at grade crossings where a grade separation is infeasible or not currently planned.
T1–T12	Towers	Various	Increases reliability of train operations at key crossings throughout the region, reducing commuter, passenger, and freight train delays.

†	For a detailed description of each project’s full benefits, please click on the link to view the corresponding project’s fact sheet.
*	Projects B4 and B5 are linked for the purposes of environmental review and design/construction.
**	Projects B9 and EW1 are linked for the purposes of environmental review and design/construction.
*******	Projects P2, P3, EW2, and GS19 are linked for the purposes of environmental review.

Quick Links