The agency wants to upgrade infrastructure and fix ‘long-standing deficiencies’ in its Chicago-area operations.

Reporting for Trains.com, Bob Johnston outlines Amtrak’s proposed plan to upgrade its Chicago-area infrastructure. “Amtrak is seeking more than $200 million in federal funding, along with money from state and local sources, in an attempt to fix a series of long-standing deficiencies, capacity limitations, and how trains from the south and east enter Chicago.”
Johnston lists the projects that would be funded under this request, including: direct access from the St. Charles Airline to Chicago Union Station to eliminate a time-consuming maneuver that some trains are currently forced to make, “property acquisition for storage and displaced service functions,” and the ‘reactivation’ of Chicago’s Union Station mail platform, among other interconnected projects. Some of the projects are speculative, such as a proposal to acquire Canadian National’s Lakefront Line.
FULL STORY: Amtrak unveils infrastructure plan to transform Chicago operations

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
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Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
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Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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