and between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. This
amounts to a 25-percent reduction
in track capacity during that time.
The challenge is to continue to build
facilities that will permit the freight
and passenger operations to be separated during those critical rush
hours.
There are still many grade separation projects and passenger projects
that must be cleared environmentally, designed, and constructed.
The challenge facing the CREATE
partners is to gather sufficient
funding to complete the program.
So far, we have received about $1.2
billion in funding for a $3.2 billion-plus
program. Currently, 16 CREATE projects
are complete, 12 are under construction,
and 19 are in the design phase. The
remainder of the 70 projects have not
started design.
QDoes CREATE’s work have an endgame?Iffreightgrowthcontin-ues at the pace that many project over the
next 20 to 30 years, is there a concern
capacity in Chicago will not keep up with
demand and the region will find itself
back in the same situation?
A The railroads believe they have a reasonable plan to address the
expected continued growth of rail freight
transportation. The 2008–09 downturn
allowed for a small breather. But the
respite was short lived, and traffic has
continued to grow. The question is, if traffic growth projections are exceeded, when
will Chicago reach gridlock? Should
transportation demand continue to
increase and if CREATE progress were to
stop, it is estimated that in 20 years,
freight delays could triple and passenger
delays would increase fivefold.
QIs this a program that can be estab- lished in other cities, or is Chicago a
unique case?
A The railroads are working with the Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development
(LDTD) in New Orleans to address similar issues. The LDTD railroad program is
still in development.
QHow did you come to run CRE- ATE?
A In 2004, the railroads decided to hire a program manager to represent the entire industry in Chicago and to
work with the Illinois and Chicago transportation departments and the Federal
Highway Administration as design and
construction efforts were ramping up.
The industry also wanted to minimize
disruptions to the current operation during construction. My work in the railroad
industry for 23 years in construction and
maintenance, along with three years in
consulting, provided a good track record
of skills the industry needed. ;
