Chicago & Midwest CRE News In Your Inbox.
Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.
Lightfoot Spearheads Support for $850M Chicago Rail Improvement Plan
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spearheaded a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration administrator Amit Bose to support Amtrak’s proposed $850-million Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP). The letter garnered the support of 56 mayors. If successful, Amtrak would use funds from a federal Mega Grant to improve Chicago Union Station, create more routes into the city and open a variety of new service options.
“This investment in improved train services will give Chicago residents and visitors convenient, safe, and modernized travel options while reducing our carbon footprint,” said Lightfoot.
CHIP would create a new way for passenger trains to access Union Station from the south. Benefits include improving on-time performance for both Amtrak and Metra trains and providing capacity for new routes and increased frequencies. It would also provide faster connections between the region’s largest job hubs and modernize Union Station.
- ◦Development
- ◦Financing
