Student Competition Design Winner, MaryAnn McGovern: Comprehensive eTOD Plan, Back of the Yards, Chicago

Student: MaryAnn McGovern, DePaul University, M.A. Candidate in Sustainable Urban Development

The Grand Trunk Junction Railway is a disconnected and unused heavy freight rail right-of-way that runs along 49th Street between Western Avenue to the west and approximately 47th Street and Normal Avenue to the east. The railway opened in 1881 to provide service to the Union Stockyards, making this infrastructure nearly 150 years old. It has not been used for rail service since 1988, about a decade and a half after the closure of the Stockyards. Since then, its only use has been as a storage space for Canadian National Railway, its present owner. The viaducts along this 3.1-mile stretch have fallen into disrepair so extreme that residents have complained of pieces of concrete falling on them when they cross underneath (Richter, R. Personal Communication, March 2025).

The railway was double tracked, meaning there were once four tracks traversing the railway (one set has been removed). It measures approximately 95 feet across from the edge of each embankment, making this a massive, underutilized space.

The pages and plans that follow frame The Grand Trunk Junction Railway as an untapped community amenity, that is central to a just and equitable revitalization of Back of the Yards. We know that amenities, such as the Bloomingdale Trail, tend to catalyze real estate speculation which leads to displacement of vulnerable residents. Therefore, this plan will include crucial considerations for affordable housing infill and protections.