9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | LaSalle

Presentation 1

CREATEing Connection

Speakers:

• William (Bill) Thompson, Chief Engineer, Association of American Railroads

• Jesse Elam, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways

This presentation by CREATE Program partners provides an in-depth exploration of rail transportation challenges in the Chicago region and its pivotal role in the national supply chain. Participants will gain insights into the transformative impact of the CREATE Program, a landmark public-private partnership to enhance rail connectivity and efficiency. The presentation will focus on the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (CIP), the largest component of the CREATE Program, and its solutions to alleviate freight and passenger rail congestion at critical bottlenecks such as the Forest Hill Flyover (P3) and the 71st Street Grade Separation (GS19). Attendees will understand Chicago's position as a national freight hub, the types of goods moving through the region, and the global connections facilitated by its rail network.

The session also highlights CREATE’s commitment to community engagement through mobility improvement projects, contracting, and workforce development initiatives. Key topics include the program’s efforts to enhance neighborhood connectivity, foster collaboration between infrastructure projects and local communities, and provide opportunities for local contractors and suppliers. Participants will learn about the progress and outcomes of the 75th Street CIP, as well as the next phase of CREATE Projects (EW2 & P2), emphasizing the program’s sustained impact on transportation and communities.

Through open discussions and a Q&A session with CREATE Program partners, participants will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how the CREATE Program addresses infrastructure challenges, strengthens the national supply chain, and fosters community engagement.

Presentation 2

The Value of Rail Investment: Findings from the Chicago Rail Futures II Study

Speakers:

• Elaine McKenzie, Associate Vice President, Freight and Economics, Cambridge Systematics

• Ryan Richter, Chicago Department of Transportation

Chicago is North America’s most critical rail gateway, serving as a hub that connects the continent’s cities, ports, and economics centers through freight and passenger rail service. Chicago handles almost half of the nation’s intermodal rail containers, and a third of all rail car traffic. Millions of passengers rely on Amtrak, Metra, and South Shore Line each month.

The importance of Chicago’s rail system and the need for investments to maintain, upgrade, and expand the system is the driving force between the CREATE Program public private partnership   between the freight and passenger railroads and public agencies in northeastern Illinois. For the past 20 years CREATE has served as a nationally recognized and innovative model to deliver a program of 70 projects, over half of which have been completed, with many additional projects underway. 

Because of the immense complexity, importance, and changes to the region’s rail system over the last 20 years, the Chicago Department of Transportation undertook the Rail Futures II Study to detail and understand the economic impacts of the CREATE Program’s investments over the last 20 years. The Rail Futures II study uses a combination of economic modeling and qualitative analysis to measure the impacts of  freight and passenger rail investments in the region. 

This presentation will share the Study’s findings, highlighting the achievements and value of regional rail investments and the need for continued investment to help shape Chicago’s rail network for the next 20 years.

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Steamboat Hotel

Presentation 1

The State of ETOD in Chicago: Growing the Movement Through Policies, Investments, Technical Assistance, and Narratives

Speakers:

• Juan Sebastian Arias, Executive Director, Elevated Chicago

• Emily Laflamme, Program Director, Center for Neighborhood Technology

• Oji Eggleston, Executive Director, The Renaissance Collaborative

Chicago has an extensive transit network and many opportunities to increase context-sensitive development, empower people, and revitalize neighborhoods in areas with good transit access.  To accelerate Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD), the Elevated Chicago coalition was established 8 years ago.  This group was instrumental in developing the City of Chicago’s first-ever ETOD Policy Plan in 2020. The Elevated coalition then played a critical role in crafting and obtaining community and political support for the related Connected Communities Ordinance, a comprehensive amendment to Chicago’s zoning code, which was adopted in July 2022 to incentivize dense, affordable housing, prevent displacement in rapidly gentrifying areas and create pedestrian-friendly and vibrant neighborhoods through predictable standards for equitable development near transit.  

In addition to shaping policy, the coalition has supported investments to change the physical built environment across Chicago. In 2023, Elevated and the City of Chicago launched the Elevated Works technical assistance program to support emerging developers and to grow a pipeline of projects near transit. There are now more than 60 ETOD projects in the Elevated pipeline. Pipeline projects range from The Hatchery, a nonprofit food and beverage incubator, to the Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments with 100 affordable homes, to Abrams Intergenerational Village, with apartments and community space for grandparents and their grandchildren.   

2025 marks 5 years since the development of Chicago’s ETOD Policy Plan. Learn about how Elevated Chicago has supported the growth of a movement for walkable, vibrant, transit-connected neighborhoods across Chicago by changing the narrative about the benefits of ETOD, developing programs to address barriers, partnering with local agencies, and supporting developers to cultivate a pipeline of projects that leverage Chicago’s transit system as a core community asset.

Presentation 2

Equitable Transit Oriented Development in the Suburbs: Building a Well-Connected and Affordable Chicago Region

Speakers:

• Kris Tiongson, Manager, Metropolitan Planning Council

• Rachel Gaunce, Associate, Metropolitan Planning Council

Suburban areas are increasingly an attractive option for those seeking affordable housing in the Chicago region. However, many suburbs have car-centric development patterns that limit access to more affordable active transportation options, variety in housing choices, and other amenities and services that come with denser development patterns. 

Suburban communities have an opportunity to leverage the regional transit network, including Metra and Pace Pulse, to implement policy changes that foster vibrant, walkable, and compact development. Expanding Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) in these areas can increase housing supply, enhance affordability, expand access to jobs, make communities more resilient to climate change, and improve overall connectivity. 

This panel will present MPC’s ongoing research into the opportunities and barriers for suburban communities seeking to implement ETOD. Over the past year, MPC has conducted interviews with local decision-makers, developers, and advocacy groups and high-level demographic research on station areas around Metra. The goal is to develop strategies for advancing ETOD implementation, making suburban communities more livable, sustainable, and transit accessible. 

Presentation 3

Making Transit Investments Work for Communities: Examining the Blue Line Extension in the Twin Cities

Speaker:

• Cathy Gold, Senior Department Administrator, Hennepin County

As transit agencies and local governments advance major rail extensions, the need for equitable transit investments has never been more pressing. This session will explore the transit-supportive development (TSD) and anti-displacement (AD) efforts surrounding the Blue Line Extension (BLE) in the Twin Cities.

We will first provide a project overview and background on the route alignment, including coordination with freight railroads and the impact of BLE’s realignment through North Minneapolis on its planning process. From there, we will discuss why TSD planning and AD plans are essential in ensuring communities benefit from these investments, how these plans are shaped, and the implementation strategies to achieve community goals.

The presentations will include highlights from the following topics:

• Engagement strategies—how the project built trust and adapted based on community feedback (e.g., BLE’s realignment and focus on equitable development).

• Legislative & funding mechanisms—including Minnesota’s $10M AD grant and how resources are structured to ensure community benefit.

• Implementation progress—how the project has moved from planning to action, with updates on station area development, policy initiatives, and governance structures

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Western Stage House

Presentation 1

Partnering for Regional Mobility

Speakers:

• Taqhi Mohammed, Supervisor - ITS and Transportation Engineering, Pace

• Kamil Kobiylka, Traffic Signal Engineer, IL Department of Transportation (IDOT) District 1

The Regional mobility goals envision a well-integrated, multimodal transportation system that seamlessly moves people and goods while ensuring safety, sustainability, and equitable access.  Integration of Pace operations with IDOT and IL Tollway networks provides a foundation for enhanced mobility options.

Pace has developed a Non-Proprietary Regionally Interoperable Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system in partnership with the  RTA, ILDOT, CDOT/CTA, and implemented it along 191 Signalized Intersections to improve seven major Fixed Bus and Pulse Routes. The TSP optimizes transit on-time performance and travel time through the extension of green time.

Pace Bus-on-Shoulder services operate on the inside/left-hand side shoulders of the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), and the outside/right-hand side shoulders of Edens Expressway (I-94). Pace buses bypass congestion, offering a safe alternative to the automobile.

On the Illinois Tollway I-90 SmartRoad, Pace buses use Flex Lanes, located along the inside/left-hand side shoulders, when predetermined criteria and operating conditions are met.  The service promotes transit as an option, maintains travel time reliability, and demonstrates what can be achieved when stakeholders share a common vision for mobility.

These initiatives provide a more integrated transportation network by offering multimodal choices to residents of the Chicago region.  The panel will explore the success of these programs and how these approaches may be applied, adapted, and enhanced for other corridors where multimodal capital improvements are planned.

Mobility initiatives require agency champions, a well-coordinated plan, development of standard operating procedures, and a commitment to performance evaluation and continuous improvement.  

Presentation 2

Working Toward Regional Rail: Metra’s Systemwide Network Plan

Speakers:

• David Kralik, Director of Planning and Programming, Metra

• Aaron Maertins, Director of Operations Planning and Project Management, Metra

• Chris Kopp, VP National Practice Consultant, HNTB

Since 2020, commuter rail systems have had to reevaluate their operations and policies to meet the travel market that emerged out of the pandemic. In April 2020, Metra had lost more than 95% of its ridership, which by 2024 had returned to roughly 60% of 2019 levels. In 2023, recognizing the need to take action to meet the changing travel market, Metra’s Board adopted a new 2023-27 Strategic Plan, My Metra, Our Future that called for transitioning the system from commuter rail to regional rail.

Metra has adopted multiple approaches to the problem of reduced ridership. We restructured schedules that had catered heavily to 9-5 commuters to less peak-oriented service with more service spread evenly throughout the day and on weekends. We developed and implemented a massive fare system simplification and restructuring, and we are in the process of improving and standardizing the agency’s wayfinding and signage.

This session will discuss Metra’s recent efforts to change service and fares: the process and challenges encountered in development and implementation, the tangible, data-based drivers that let to our decisions we made, and outcomes of the initiatives we’ve implemented. 

The session will also discuss Metra’s Systemwide Network Plan, our next step toward defining how regional rail will operate on each of Metra’s rail lines.  The plan builds on a deep dive into travel behavior data and applies innovative service models to expand Metra’s focus from a commuter-oriented service to provide travel options throughout the day and week for multiple trip purposes.

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Wolf Point Ballroom

Speakers:

• Zach Baughman, Managing Deputy Commissioner and Chief Development Officer, Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)

• Dominic Garascia, Assistant Commissioner of Design and Construction, CDA

O’Hare International Airport, the region’s largest economic engine and a pillar of global connectivity, has been undergoing its most ambitious redevelopment in decades. This full-session presentation from the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will highlight the scope and impact of the O’Hare 21 capital program. Led by CDA Chief Development Officer Zach Baughman, the session will provide an in-depth look at infrastructure investments transforming O’Hare into a more modern, efficient, and accessible global hub.

The presentation will include an overview of O’Hare’s current air service and traffic trends, followed by a brief recap of the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP), which laid the foundation for today’s major capital efforts. Most of the session will focus on the Terminal Area Plan (TAP) — the largest terminal redevelopment in O’Hare’s history — including enabling work now underway, such as the Central Basin Fill, South Basin Expansion, and tunnel boring operations.

Presenters will offer a detailed update on the design of Satellite Concourse 1, which is preparing to enter major construction, and outline the vision for the O’Hare Global Terminal and its connecting tunnel system. The session will also include focused updates on other key capital projects, including the $300 million ElevateT3 modernization of Terminal 3 and ongoing landside improvements at Terminal 5, supported by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grants.

Through these initiatives, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the CDA are delivering on a bold vision to enhance the passenger experience, improve operational efficiency, and position Chicago’s airports to support the region’s economic vitality for decades to come.