RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection ofthe public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, as the rail capital of the country, with about one-third of the freights that travel in this country pass through the City, Chicago has a vested interest in matters pertaining to freight traffic; and
WHEREAS, freight rail is divided into three classifications with Class I being the largest, and Chicago is the only city in the United States where six of the seven Class I operators interconnect; and
WHEREAS, the Vice President of government affairs for CSX, Tom Livingston refers to Chicago as "the Super Bowl of freight rail;" and
WHEREAS, logistics and economic development experts predict a rising volume of goods passing through East Coast seaports, created by a wider Panama Canal and more shipments traveling through the Suez Canal from Southeast Asia; and
WHEREAS, in addition, the fear of rising energy costs and driver shortages are pushing shippers away from trucking and leading to an increase in freight rail; and
WHEREAS, companies like CSX, which is one of the two largest railroad companies that hauls goods from the East, can capitalize on this prediction if they have the capacity to handle the eventual increase in demand; and
WHEREAS, one of the busiest areas, the 75th Street Corridor, also known as the Belt Junction, is considered the worst choke point for rail movement in Chicago where eight tracks from the east and five from the west gradually narrow into two; and
WHEREAS, Forest Hill Junction, which is two miles west from 75th Street Corridor, is a six-track intersection shared by Amtrak, commuter trains, and freight rail; and
WHEREAS, a study...
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