HR1044 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1044 LRB098 21101 GRL 58899 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is currently updating its GOTO2040 master plan as part of a federally-required mid-decade update; and

WHEREAS, A new initiative for first-class passenger rail service called Crossrail Chicago has emerged which would, for the first time, connect Metra route lines together, knitting together the Chicagoland region; and

WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago would allow for downstate Amtrak service to connect directly with O'Hare International Airport; and

WHEREAS, Metra currently runs 11 separate lines, each of which terminates in downtown Chicago; these lines do not travel through downtown Chicago, which would be far more efficient; and

WHEREAS, Union Station has 2 tracks that travel through the station that are not currently used, but could be used for Metra or Amtrak service; and

WHEREAS, Northeast Illinois has long suffered from a jobs-housing mismatch, where tens of thousands of entry-level jobs in and around O'Hare airport and the northwest suburbs struggle to be filled, while tens of thousands of residents of the south side and south suburbs struggle to find employment; and

WHEREAS, Current public transportation between the south suburbs and the south side of Chicago and the northwest suburbs is a long, laborious journey involving transfers between buses and rail, creating a greater barrier to full employment in the region; and

WHEREAS, This initiative is consistent with the long-term vision for northeastern Illinois set forth by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning; and

WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago could connect Rockford, Elgin, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, and O'Hare through Union Station to McCormick Place, Hyde Park, Homewood, University Park, the south suburban airport, Kankakee, and Champaign-Urbana in one electrified track; and

WHEREAS, There is an opportunity to build a new train station at O'Hare Airport as part of the consolidated rental car facility currently out for bid that can connect to the extended people-mover and existing Metra service on the North Central District line; and

WHEREAS, The new electrified line of Crossrail Chicago would be located largely on publicly-owned rights-of-way and could bring tremendous economic benefits to the region and State; and

WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago would allow for a direct train ride between O'Hare Airport and McCormick Place, the continent's largest convention facility; and

WHEREAS, Metra service along the Metra Electric line from University Park to McCormick Place could be significantly improved through the Crossrail Chicago initiative; and

WHEREAS, Using existing elevated tracks along 16th Street could connect Metra Electric tracks, Metra Rock Island tracks, and Union Station; and

WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago can also serve as the trunk of a Midwest high-speed rail network, which would bring millions of people together into one stronger economic unit; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to include Crossrail Chicago in its list of fiscally unconstrained projects as consistent with the GOTO2040 vision; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of Transportation, Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Department of Aviation to support the inclusion of Crossrail Chicago as part of GOTO2040's mid-decade update as a project on the fiscally unconstrained list as consistent with the long-term plans of those agencies; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Department of Aviation.