Federal, state and local officials celebrated the opening of the $142 million Englewood flyover, a major railroad bridge that has eliminated a significant source of train delays on the south side of Chicago and has reduced emissions and noise from idling trains in the neighborhood, last week. The flyover bridge replaced a crossing between the Metra Rock Island tracks and a set of Norfolk Southern tracks at 63rd and State St. With the completion of this project, 78 weekday Rock Island Line trains are now carried over the busy freight tracks used by approximately 60 freight and Amtrak trains, eliminating conflicts between trains that result in service delays. The flyover is a major accomplishment of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program, a first-of-its-kind partnership between U.S. Department of Transportation, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation’s freight railroads to eliminate railroad bottlenecks in the Chicago area.

Photo Caption 1:
(Left to right) Erica Borggren, acting Secretary of Transportation, state of Illinois; Don DeGraff, South Holland mayor and Metra board of directors; Congressman Bobby Rush; Congressman Dan Lipinski; Martin J. Oberman, chairman, Metra board of directors; Donald Orseno, Metra executive director/CEO; State Senator Martin Sandoval; and, State Senator Mattie Hunter.

Photo Caption 2:
(Left to right): Martin J. Oberman, chairman, Metra board of directors; Congressman Bobby Rush, Congress Dan Lipinski; Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; Congressman Richard Durbin; Joe Czabo, administrator Federal Railroad Administration; State Senator Mattie Hunter; Romayne Brown, Metra board of directors; Donald Orseno, Metra executive director/CEO. (Last face name unknown)