Renaissance in Rail Travel: New Opportunities for Chicago

Renaissance in Rail Travel: New Opportunities for Chicago
CAF/file
Renaissance in Rail Travel: New Opportunities for Chicago
CAF/file

Renaissance in Rail Travel: New Opportunities for Chicago

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

In an era of rising energy costs and concern about the environment, legislators and citizens, alike, are pushing to change the way Americans travel. Many agree that the best alternative to the automobile is rail transport: it relieves congestion, cuts dependence on foreign oil, and reduces pollution. This panel examines the rail plans that most directly impact the Chicago region, including the proposed Midwest high-speed rail network, the CREATE Regional Rail Plan, and the Regional Transportation Authority’s investments in the expansion of Metra and the CTA.

Panelists include: Luann Hamilton, Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Transportation; Rick Harnish, Executive Director, Midwest High Speed Rail Association; and Mark Walbrun, head of the Passenger Rail and Transit division, TranSystems. The panel will be moderated by Joe Schwieterman, Ph.D., Professor, DePaul University, and Director, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

Recorded Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at Chicago Architecture Foundation.