Officials ride the train near California Avenue.

Executives from Chicagoland railroads and other VIPs toured the area as part of the fifth annual Safety Operation and Management Committee tour.  Riding passenger cars provided by BNSF Railway, the tour group traveled along tracks owned by BRC, BNSF, CSX, Indiana Harbor Belt, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific before ending the day at the Downers Grove Belmont platform.

The tour began with a briefing covering the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program’s recent projects.  CREATE is a public-private partnership with the state of Illinois, city of Chicago and area passenger and freight railroads.

The tour’s purpose was to provide an up-close view of the various projects and demonstrate how they are connected. Continue reading →