Bill Text: IL HR1044 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Department of Aviation to include Crossrail Chicago in its list of fiscally unconstrained projects as consistent with the GOTO2040 vision.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2014-05-21 - Resolution Adopted [HR1044 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HR1044-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is | ||||||
| 3 | currently updating its GOTO2040 master plan as part of a | ||||||
| 4 | federally-required mid-decade update; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, A new initiative for first-class passenger rail | ||||||
| 6 | service called Crossrail Chicago has emerged which would, for | ||||||
| 7 | the first time, connect Metra route lines together, knitting | ||||||
| 8 | together the Chicagoland region; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago would allow for downstate | ||||||
| 10 | Amtrak service to connect directly with O'Hare International | ||||||
| 11 | Airport; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Metra currently runs 11 separate lines, each of | ||||||
| 13 | which terminates in downtown Chicago; these lines do not travel | ||||||
| 14 | through downtown Chicago, which would be far more efficient; | ||||||
| 15 | and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Union Station has 2 tracks that travel through the | ||||||
| 17 | station that are not currently used, but could be used for | ||||||
| 18 | Metra or Amtrak service; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Northeast Illinois has long suffered from a | ||||||
| 20 | jobs-housing mismatch, where tens of thousands of entry-level | ||||||
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| 1 | jobs in and around O'Hare airport and the northwest suburbs | ||||||
| 2 | struggle to be filled, while tens of thousands of residents of | ||||||
| 3 | the south side and south suburbs struggle to find employment; | ||||||
| 4 | and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Current public transportation between the south | ||||||
| 6 | suburbs and the south side of Chicago and the northwest suburbs | ||||||
| 7 | is a long, laborious journey involving transfers between buses | ||||||
| 8 | and rail, creating a greater barrier to full employment in the | ||||||
| 9 | region; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, This initiative is consistent with the long-term | ||||||
| 11 | vision for northeastern Illinois set forth by the Chicago | ||||||
| 12 | Metropolitan Agency for Planning; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago could connect Rockford, Elgin, | ||||||
| 14 | Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, and O'Hare | ||||||
| 15 | through Union Station to McCormick Place, Hyde Park, Homewood, | ||||||
| 16 | University Park, the south suburban airport, Kankakee, and | ||||||
| 17 | Champaign-Urbana in one electrified track; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, There is an opportunity to build a new train | ||||||
| 19 | station at O'Hare Airport as part of the consolidated rental | ||||||
| 20 | car facility currently out for bid that can connect to the | ||||||
| 21 | extended people-mover and existing Metra service on the North | ||||||
| 22 | Central District line; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The new electrified line of Crossrail Chicago | ||||||
| 2 | would be located largely on publicly-owned rights-of-way and | ||||||
| 3 | could bring tremendous economic benefits to the region and | ||||||
| 4 | State; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago would allow for a direct train | ||||||
| 6 | ride between O'Hare Airport and McCormick Place, the | ||||||
| 7 | continent's largest convention facility; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Metra service along the Metra Electric line from | ||||||
| 9 | University Park to McCormick Place could be significantly | ||||||
| 10 | improved through the Crossrail Chicago initiative; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Using existing elevated tracks along 16th Street | ||||||
| 12 | could connect Metra Electric tracks, Metra Rock Island tracks, | ||||||
| 13 | and Union Station; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Crossrail Chicago can also serve as the trunk of a | ||||||
| 15 | Midwest high-speed rail network, which would bring millions of | ||||||
| 16 | people together into one stronger economic unit; therefore, be | ||||||
| 17 | it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 19 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 20 | we urge the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to include | ||||||
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| 1 | Crossrail Chicago in its list of fiscally unconstrained | ||||||
| 2 | projects as consistent with the GOTO2040 vision; and be it | ||||||
| 3 | further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 5 | Transportation, Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the | ||||||
| 6 | Chicago Department of Aviation to support the inclusion of | ||||||
| 7 | Crossrail Chicago as part of GOTO2040's mid-decade update as a | ||||||
| 8 | project on the fiscally unconstrained list as consistent with | ||||||
| 9 | the long-term plans of those agencies; and be it further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 11 | delivered to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the | ||||||
| 12 | Illinois Department of Transportation, Metra, the Chicago | ||||||
| 13 | Transit Authority, and the Chicago Department of Aviation.
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