CHICAGO — Norfolk Southern efforts to expand a rail yard on Chicago’s South Side have run into resistance from local residents concerned the railroad has not followed through on promises of job opportunities, as well as on the effects of the surrounding neighborhood.
Local news site Block Club Chicago reports the railroad is continuing work to expand its 47th Street Yard, with plans to add intermodal trailer parking between Garfield Boulevard and 59th Street. A pending City Council ordinance would transfer streets and alleys in that area to NS. The city had previously sold 105 city-owned vacant lots to the railroad for $1.1 million under a 2013 agreement, and agreed to swap additional land with the railroad in a 2014 deal. The land the city received will be used to create a new trail.
Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, who represents the area, and about a dozen residents attended a meeting this week at Kennedy King College with railroad officials on the latest expansion plans. Those in attendance voiced concerns that the expansion had not led to jobs that had been promised. They also said truck traffic to and from the yard was damaging streets and increasing pollution.
The railroad says it has exceeded requirements from a 2013 agreement requiring it to hiring a minimum of 24% minority-owned and 4% woman-owned business for its construction work, and that a large number of other jobs will be going to bid once the current project is able to move forward. In response to a query from local residents, it said has hired 50 residents from seven South Side zip codes since 2014, only five of which were actively employed as of November 2022.
Taylor had delayed the ordinance regarding the street transfer while seeking studies on the health impacts of the project and more employment of local residents. She now says she plans to “hold the railway company accountable,” with community meetings, and will vote against the ordinance if it comes up for a vote later this month.
“Norfolk Southern needs to listen to my community and do what they have asked,” Taylor said, according to Block Club. “I’m not working against the betterment of my community.”
More details on some of the issues here:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-englewood-norfolk-southern-expansion-20230108-qdil7eswcbfvxchgmk2dij4s5q-story.html
There was a fascinating program on PBS about how the railroad forced many long term residents to move out of their homes that had been in their families for generations disrupting a Black neighborhood. It’s called “The Area” and gives a lot of background on this issue:
http://theareafilm.com/about/
Another, give me some money and I’ll vote your way.
One of the complaints was that the railroad ceded an unused ROW for use as a trail but didn’t build the trail. (sigh)
‘Won’t you be my neighbour?’
Electric-powered trucks and locomotives on the horizon should quell the controversy with quiet operations.
Let me say that getting *any* alley closed in Chicago is a monumental task. CPD, Streets and San, MWD, CFD all have to sign off before it reaches city council, and yes, they all have their hands out.
Depending on the request and number of alleys, it can cost anywhere from $100k for a small one to several million in “fees” for a quantity.
This is what gives Chicago aldermen a huge amount of local power, but also a lot of corruption.
Actually Alderman Taylor, you are working against the betterment of your community. 47th St is an intermodal facility, it takes truck traffic off the highway, which is more impactful to your constituents than it is when on trains.
Mr. McFarlane you completely miss the point here with your incredibly silly response. Please pay close attention and you might learn something. The problem with this location is that it does not take trucks off the highway it merely reshuffles the deck. (i.e., think of the concept of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic). Trucks departing this terminal are most likely headed to warehouses and logistics parks in Will County (about 40 miles away). This means they must use either the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) or the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) to complete their journeys. BTW, these are two of the busiest and most congested highways in the entire Chicago Region. Our Region is already winning awards for the most congested roadways in America. We do not need any more stupid mistakes like this terminal represents or silly nonsensical comments like yours.
It might help us to say what railroad used to have this yard. I don’t have the SPV Atlas handy.
It’s heritage consists of two separate yards that came together after all the mergers, when they were combined I don’t know.
In the above satellite photo north is at the top. The east side of the yard was the Pennsylvania’s and they called it 55th St. The west side was the Chicago & Western Indiana’s 51st St yard.
The two railroads ran parallel from 21st Jct south and they split at the top of the photo with the C&WI curving to the west, the C&WI also had a station at 47th St which was interesting as it was within the confines of the yard, it is long gone. The Y near the bottom was the Pennsylvania’s connection to its Panhandle line, and I believe that is the route of the proposed trail, not the former Grand Trunk Western line which joins the C&WI by the field of green containers near the top of the photo.
(Sources: The Pennsy in Chicago by Edward M. DeRouin, a 1913 map of railroads in the city and an offical map of the C&WI from time unknown, A Guide to Chicago’s Train Stations Present and past by Ira J. Bach)
Conrail before that Pennsy.
Correction to my reply. 47th Street was a Wabash Yard
NS needs to make more “campaign contributions”.