The $900 million facility would allow Amtrak to maintain entire trains in one building, which the company says will reduce delays.
In a community meeting Amtrak hosted on Sept. 17, residents of Chicago’s Chinatown and Bridgeport communities rallied against Amtrak’s plans for a new rail maintenance facility in their neighborhood, Kade Heather writes for Block Club Chicago.
Amtrak intends to build a roughly $900 million Midwest Maintenance Facility on a two-mile-long property in Chicago. The facility would allow Amtrak to maintain entire trains in one building, potentially reducing delays. The project will not alter Amtrak’s existing service plan.
Residents voiced concerns about potential noise coming from the maintenance facility, as well as the toxic materials found in the site’s soil, which construction work could spread beyond the site. Residents also expressed frustration about Amtrak’s past lack of communication regarding the site: Carmine Giso, who lives about 100 yards from the proposed facility, called the deal “shady.” Block Club Chicago reports:
“I have gotten zero proper information from any of you,” Giso said. “You knew three years ago this was a chosen site, but nobody in this room [told] one single word that we were selected for it.”
Read the full story: Amtrak Rail Yard Plan A ‘Nasty’ Deal For Bridgeport And Chinatown, Neighbors Say At Packed Meeting
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