Freight center in the works south of Chicago

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Chicago Business - Illinois / March 7, 2007

Railroad freight center planned for Crete#### 850-acre development would create jobs, capacity

(Crain’s) — Industrial developer CenterPoint Properties Trust said it plans to build a railroad freight center in far south suburban Crete, creating hundreds of jobs and additional capacity for the Chicago area’s overburdened railroad network.

The 850-acre development would be west of Balmoral Park horse racing track and State Route 394. Oak Brook-based CenterPoint is proposing as much 5 million square feet of warehouse space in addition to tracks and storage space for transferring shipping containers from freight trains to truck trailers.

The $250-million rail yard, which would stretch for more than a mile and a half, would be designed to handle at least a million container lifts on and off trains annually, making it one of the largest intermodal freight centers in the Chicago area.

Initial employment estimates peg 300 to 400 jobs directly to the rail operations and perhaps as many as 1,000 jobs in nearby warehouses, which would constructed and leased over several years. More than 1,000 people work at a CenterPoint-built rail yard and warehouse park in Elwood near Joliet.

Full story here

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So I gather the development company will not have to pull eminent domain to get its land? - a.s.

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This facility would be accessible to both UP and CSX. Hope they come up with a catchier name than Logistics Park!

Hope, too, that trackwork on the main line involved with this place also incorporates provision for Metra service to Crete. It’s been talked about, and a place like this might provide a daily ride or two.