Overview of CREATE: one of the nation's leading public-private partnerships to improve railroad and transportation infrasctructure in the Midwest.

1. CREATE:
One of the leading
Public-Private Partnerships in the
USA

2. Overview
• The nation’s railroads converge in Chicago.
• As more people ship and travel by rail, the region’s tracks and
roads are close to choking.
• CREATE will reduce rail and road congestion by improving rail
property, bridges, intersections, and signals.
• CREATE is a partnership of private railroads and various
federal, state, and local government agencies.
• CREATE offers substantial benefits to the public in such areas
as economic development, agriculture, air quality, and
passenger rail.

3. Chicago
Region
Environmental &
Transportation
Efficiency
A collection of construction projects and other
improvements to rail property

4. • 25 rail-to-road separations
• 6 rail-to-rail separations
• Improvements to tracks
• Improvements to signals
• Projected final cost of ~$2.6B

5. The CREATE Coalition

6. Key points about CREATE:
1. CREATE = “Chicago Region Environmental &
Transportation Efficiency” Program.
3. A partnership of commercial railroads, Amtrak, the
City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and the United
States Government.
5. Significant public benefits. . . .

7. In Illinois…
COMPETITIVE
CLEAN AIR BUSINESS JOBS
RAIL PASSENGERS FARMERS

8. All rely on. . .
Successful Execution of the
CREATE Program!

9. On any given day…
• 1,200 passenger and freight trains pass
through Illinois’ 150 year old rail system…
• 37,500 rail cars traverse the region on
2,800 miles of track.
• 1/3 of U.S. rail freight is shipped through
the Chicago region.

10. The Nation’s Freight
Converges In Illinois
• It takes 36 hours to ship from Los Angeles
to Chicago, a distance of 2,000 miles.
• Yet it takes more than 36 hours to ship
through Chicago, where freight usually
travels no faster than 9 m.p.h.

11. The Nation’s Freight
Converges In Illinois

12. Why does rail congestion matter
to Illinois?
• End users (such as big-box retailers):
– Must be able to receive and distribute their
goods in a predictably and timely manner.
• Farmers and manufacturers:
– Must be able to ship their goods on a timely
basis.

13. Why does this matter to Illinois?
• For 3rd-party logistic companies and
distributors like UPS:
– Bottom line depends on rail efficiency and
timeliness.
– They can operate facilities only next to timely
and reliable rail service.

14. Illinois position as the nation’s rail and &
distribution hub depends on CREATE…
• Competition for 3rd-party logistics is
emerging from Memphis and St. Louis…

15. What do we stand to lose?
• If the bottlenecks in freight and passenger
rail are not eliminated, Illinois is projected
to lose:
– 17,000 jobs by 2020.*
– $2 billion in annual economic production
by 2020.*
*SOURCE: Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, Regional Economics Applications Laboratory,
University of Illinois, 2001.

16. With public support, CREATE will:
• Remove rail bottlenecks.
• Promote agriculture and economic development,
especially in those sectors that depend on rail.
• Improve passenger-rail service.
• Clean up our air.
• Eliminate traffic congestion at crossings.
• Reduce traffic accidents associated with rail.

17. With public support, CREATE will:
• Yield 6,000 to 13,000 new jobs.*
• Preserve 80,000 jobs in the regional
economy.*
*SOURCE: Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, Regional Economics Applications Laboratory,
University of Illinois, 2001.

18. CREATE Will Clean the Air:
1400
1400
1200
1000 NOx
800 CO
600 400 VOCs
400 Particulates
100 51
200
0
Ton Reduction
• In the first year alone, CREATE will eliminate 1400 tons of nitrogen oxide,
400 tons of carbon monoxide, 100 tons of volatile organic compounds, and
51 tons of particulates

19. CREATE Will
Speed Up
Passenger Rail
• 16 CREATE projects
will benefit Amtrak.
• 12 CREATE projects
will benefit METRA.

20. CREATE Will Bring
Efficiency
To Agriculture
• CREATE will help farmers get fertilizer on time.
• CREATE will make sure that grain moves
predictably, yielding cost savings to farmers and
distributors.
• Illinois agriculture will remain competitive -
domestically and abroad.
• That’s why CREATE is endorsed by:
– Illinois Corn Growers Association
– Grain and Feed Association of Illinois

21. A little background on Illinois’ railroads:
• In 2007, the five largest railroads
operating in Illinois contributed…
• $76 million in IL state taxes
*SOURCE: Illinois Railroad Association

22. In Illinois, the railroads employ:
53 33
% % African
American
Asian
12 Hispanic
2%
%
*SOURCE: Association of American Railroads (excludes Amtrak and Metra figures)

23. We all
In Illinois…
rely on. . .
COMPETITIVE
CLEAN AIR
RAIL
LABORJOBS
FARMERS
BUSINESS
PASSENGERS

24. The success of CREATE

25. CREATE Funding
• CREATE has received financial commitments
from:
– The region’s railroads
– The federal government
– The State of Illinois’ capital plan
– The City of Chicago
– Additional federal/state capital funds associated
with high-speed and passenger rail.

26. Want more information?
You can visit:
WWW.CREATEPROGRAM.ORG