In
separate but related moves, Chicago’s City Council and IDOT are seeking federal
funding for rail construction projects intended to speed up CTA light rail
commuting and untangle south side rail conflicts among Amtrak freight traffic
and METRA commuter lines. The City Council has rushed through a TIF district
between North Avenue and Devon Avenue straddling the CTA’s red and purple line
tracks. The TIF district is intended to generate $851 million in revenue
dedicated to improving CTA tracks, to be used to match a federal $1.1 billion
grand the City has applied for during the Obama administration’s waning days.
IDOT
is seeking a federal grant of $160 million to eliminate passenger/freight rail
conflicts in the 75th Street corridor near the Dan Ryan Expressway.
Among other improvements, IDOT’s proposed construction would allow Metra SouthWest
Service commuter trains to use the LaSalle Street station as the downtown
terminal, reducing conflict and overcrowding with Amtrak and BN passengers at
Union Station. IDOT thinks it can get its project approved even if
consideration is delayed until after the Trump inauguration, but Chicago
aldermen rushed their TIF designation through because they believe Obama’s DOT
may approve their grant application, while anticipating Trump administration
resistance to funding inner city transit construction.
