P2, P3,
EW2, GS19
75th Street Corridor
Improvement Project
Location
Daily Trains Affected
North limit--69th St.; South limit--100th St.;
East limit--the Dan Ryan Expressway
(I-90/94); West limit--Central Park Ave.
90 freight trains (CSX, NS, UP, BRC, CN, CP)
Chicago, IL
30 Metra trains (SouthWest Service)
2 Amtrak trains (Cardinal Service)
Scope of Work
Alternatives are being developed to address conflicts between CSX, BRC, UP, NS and Metra. The
approach will consider reconfiguring the Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) main tracks between the
Dan Ryan Expressway and Belt Junction, where four freight railroads conflict with each other and
Metra’s SouthWest Service operations (EW2). The project will consider constructing a second main
track for Metra’s SouthWest Service operations from near Wrightwood Station to Western Avenue
(P2). The project will consider reconfiguring and building a third BRC main track, and constructing
a flyover to connect the Metra SouthWest Service to the Rock Island Line in the vicinity of 74th and
Normal and 75th and Parnell (EW2 and P2). This project will consider constructing a bridge that
significantly reduces conflicts between CSX and BRC, Metra and NS (P3). The project will also
consider constructing a road-rail grade separation of 71st St. and the CSX freight line (GS19).
Associated signals, tracks, crossovers, and bridge work are included in the project. See the project
website for more information at: http://www.75thcip.org/
Benefits
This project will eliminate the most congested rail chokepoint in the Chicago Terminal, Belt
Junction, where 30 Metra and 90 freight trains per day cross each other’s paths. The rail-rail flyover
at 75th Street will eliminate conflict between 30 SouthWest Service Metra trains and 35 freight trains
operating on the Western Avenue Corridor (CSX). The construction of an additional main line for
Metra operation and the rail-rail flyover connection will reduce congestion and freight conflicts
and will connect Metra’s SouthWest Service with the existing Rock Island District tracks, increasing
capacity and improving reliability.
This project will allow SouthWest Service trains access to LaSalle Street Station instead of Union
Station, which increases capacity for the SouthWest Service while also freeing capacity at Union
75th Street Corridor Improvement Project
Station for increased Amtrak service and proposed high-speed rail. This project also is expected to
improve Amtrak Cardinal service performance by eliminating freight conflicts in the vicinity of 80th
Street. The road-rail grade crossing separation at 71st Street will reduce neighborhood traffic delay
and improve safety.
Communities Benefited:

City of Chicago Community Areas: Auburn Gresham, Chatham, Englewood, Greater Grand
Crossing, Ashburn, Gresham, Chicago Lawn, West Englewood, Roseland, and Washington
Heights.

Communities along the Metra SouthWest Service Line

Cook County and Will County
Project Status
Phase I – NEPA –
Preliminary Design
(30% Design)
Phase II – Final Project
Specifications and Estimates
Complete
Pending funding availability
Phase III - Construction
Project Location Map
11/2015
B9/EW1
Argo Connections/Clearing
Main Lines
Location
Daily Trains Affected
Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) mainline
between 87th Street and Interstate 55
(Stevenson Expressway); and Belt Railway
of Chicago (BRC) Clearing Yard from
IHB/BRC connection at the intersection of
65th and 76th Avenue to the intersection
of 75th and St. Louis Avenue in Chicago,
Summit, Bedford Park and Bridgeview, IL.
116 freight trains – 56 through trains on
the IHB (B9); 60 scheduled trains at
Clearing Yard (EW1)
6 Metra trains (Heritage Corridor)
10 Amtrak trains (Lincoln and Texas Eagle
Services)
Chicago Community Areas: Ashburn,
Chicago Lawn, Clearing, and West Lawn.
Scope of Work
Project B9 will construct a new double track connection and crossovers between the BRC and
IHB/CSX line at Archer and 63rd in Summit, IL. This project will connect the CREATE Beltway and
East-West Corridors. The project will upgrade mainline crossovers to accommodate higher speeds,
from 10 mph to 25 mph. A crossover is a pair of switches that connects two parallel rail tracks,
allowing a train on one track to cross over to the other. Additional crossovers will be added to the
control point at 71st Street to allow access into and out of a signal-controlled siding track.
Project B9 includes Argo Yard improvements necessary to create yard capacity lost as a result of
installing the new main line crossovers. Yard work will include realignment of switching lead tracks,
installation of three new yard tracks, and creating new industry lead track to avoid switching
within the control point.
Project EW1 will construct two new 4.8-mile main tracks around the south side of Clearing Yard, in
Bedford Park and Chicago between Harlem Avenue and St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. The project
will install crossovers and turnouts at the CP West Subdivision, CP Central and CP East End. This
project will provide three new control points that include the installation of a series of crossovers.
Project EW1 includes yard improvements to offset the loss of yard capacity due to the new main
lines. Yard work includes realignment of switching lead tracks, run-though tracks, tracks leading to
Argo Connections/Clearing Main Lines
the hump used to classify cars, and construction of additional departure yard tracks. All of this
work will be within the existing railroad right-of-way.
Benefits
Project B9’s new double-track connection will allow speeds of 25 mph and provides increased
flexibility for dispatchers. Installation of additional yard tracks in Argo Yard will reduce the amount
of time switching cars destined for local industry occupy the main tracks. Project B9 is located near
Ingredion, Inc. (formerly Argo Corn Products), the largest industrial facility in the region, which
handles up to 200 cars per day from three carriers (IHB, BRC, and CN). Once complete, Project B9
will allow access to the new main tracks around Clearing Yard (Project EW1) on the new East-West
Corridor.
Increased freight speeds and improved fluidity on the IHB will allow trains to clear Canal
Interlocking more quickly, reducing the potential for freight conflict with Amtrak and Metra trains
and improving travel time, speed, and reliability.
Project EW1 will increase speed and efficiency of through trains traversing Clearing Yard. The new
main track will enable trains to travel on the new route at 25 mph along the south side of the yard.
Yard capacity improvements to an interlocking at the east end of Clearing Yard will allow for
multiple simultaneous train movements.
The additional capacity of this new corridor will more evenly distribute trains throughout the
regional rail network and reduce the burden on the congested existing corridors (Beltway and
Western Avenue). In addition, the new corridor provides critical redundancy in the regional rail
network by providing a new east-west route through the region. In the event of maintenance work
or service disruptions along the existing corridors, this route will allow freight train flows to be
maintained.
Communities Benefited:

Summit

Bedford Park

Bridgeview

Cook County

Communities along the Metra Heritage Corridor

Communities along the Amtrak Lincoln Service serving Joliet, Bloomington-Normal,
Springfield, IL, and St. Louis, MO; Communities along the Amtrak Texas Eagle Service between
Chicago and San Antonio, TX
Argo Connections/Clearing Main Lines
Project Status
Phase I – NEPA –
Preliminary Design
(30% Design)
Phase II – Final PS&E*
Complete
Underway
Phase III - Construction
Project Location Map
8/2015