Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) teamed with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Metra, Amtrak, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the city of Chicago Friday to announce a $3 million grant for IDOT.
The grant will be used to develop a comprehensive plan to ease congestion and improve the efficiency of passenger rail service on the southwest and south sides of Chicago and its suburbs. The grant will also help reduce congestion and delays, increase economic growth and improve the quality of life for residents.
“As Illinois’ most senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and chief proponent of the CREATE program, which is working to alleviate rail congestion in northeastern Illinois,” Lipinski said. “I fought in 2013 alongside Congressman Quigley to get unspent federal funds reprogrammed for rail safety and improvement projects, so I’m proud to announce that some of those funds are coming to our region to develop a plan to ease congestion on our rail lines that lead from the southwest and south into Union Station, benefiting passengers riding these Metra and Amtrak lines, businesses and shippers using these lines, and everyone on the Southwest and South sides of the city and suburbs impacted by rail."
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