When it comes to railroad bottlenecks, few places in Chicago – or even in the country – can compete with the situation along 75th St. on the South Side of Chicago, which Metra’s SouthWest Service Line passes through.
That’s where multiple freight railroads intertwine on their way into and out of the Chicago rail network. With all the interaction happening at grade – meaning at ground level, with no bridges to provide bypasses – the area is a congested mess. Just ask any SouthWest Service rider who’s been stuck there on their rides to downtown.
Thankfully, help is on the way, though it will take some time and no small amount of funding. The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (CIP) aims to unclog the bottleneck with four grade separations that will eliminate points of conflict and allow smoother rail and road travel through the area. The 75th St. CIP is the largest project in the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program, a consortium of local governments and local railroads.
Two of the separations are underway, and the rest are being designed. The timeline for completion will be determined by securing more than a billion dollars needed for the work.
When completed, the work will allow the SouthWest Service to connect to the Rock Island Line and terminate at LaSalle St. Station downtown. But additional funding will be needed to upgrade the Rock Island tracks, so it will be years before that can happen.
More information about the 75th Street CIP can be found here.
