About CREATE
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CREATE Overview
The CREATE Program is a public-private partnership that has worked since 2003 to improve the way passengers and goods move over rail. We are making Chicago’s railroad network safer, more efficient and better able to accommodate growth in freight and passenger
traffic.
One of every four U.S. freight trains passes through Chicago. That’s about 500 freight trains and 800 passenger and commuter trains every day. The U.S. rail network depends on our region, and growth is on the horizon. The CREATE Program is stepping up to modernize our rail network to better handle our region’s freight and passenger needs, both today and in the future.
We are focusing on efficiency, safety and communities while untangling North America’s busiest rail hub, making the CREATE Program a project of both national and regional significance.
Along four rail corridors throughout our region, we are investing $4.6 billion in 70 projects to:
- Increase capacity and efficiency and reduce travel times for freight and passenger trains
- Eliminate or reduce railroad crossing delays for motorists and emergency vehicles
- Benefit the local communities in which CREATE projects are located
- Reduce train idling, emissions and horn noise
across the Chicago region
of national and regional significance
generated in economic benefits
estimated job years created