CREATE seeks $300 million from ARRA
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced on September 15, 2009 that it has applied for $300 million in federal stimulus funds to support CREATE, the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program.  The grant is sought from the USDOT Transportation Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program to support 16 projects, with CREATE partners committing an extra 39-percent match of $117.4 million.  In addition to IDOT, proposal partners include the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

CREATE is a public-private partnership whose goal is to make extensive capital improvements to increase the efficiency of the region's rail infrastructure, significantly reducing train delays.  Because metropolitan Chicago is the leading U.S. freight hub, CREATE’s proposal has national economic significance.  If funded, the proposal would benefit the region’s overall economy, sustainability, and livability.  IDOT estimates that the ARRA funds would support 4,500 jobs, reduce freight delays by 17,684 hours, and save the region $265 million in logistics costs.