CSX Removes Chicago Bottleneck: Eases Freight Delays

CHICAGO, IL – CSX has completed the removal of the historic Forest Hill rail diamond crossing, a project finished in mid-November 2025 designed to alleviate a major chokepoint in the nation’s busiest freight hub. The removal of the 111-year-old grade crossing is part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program’s 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, a multi-stakeholder effort to modernize the city’s rail infrastructure.

Operational & Technical Details

The Forest Hill diamond was a grade-level intersection of two rail lines. This configuration created an operational bottleneck. Trains were required to slow significantly or stop completely before proceeding through the crossing. This safety protocol generated chronic, cascading delays that propagated throughout the dense Chicago rail network.

By removing the at-grade diamond, the project eliminates the point of conflict between train movements. This allows for more fluid and efficient operations, reducing dwell times and improving overall network velocity in the critical 75th Street corridor.

Market Impact Analysis

The Forest Hill project represents a direct, physical investment to solve Chicago’s well-documented rail congestion. It complements larger, strategic efforts by Class I railroads to streamline national networks. For example, the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger partly aims to reduce strain on Chicago by rerouting cross-country trains to bypass the hub entirely.

Projections from that merger application suggest a potential reduction of 200 cars daily sent to the Belt Railway of Chicago. The industry is therefore pursuing a dual strategy: large-scale network optimization through mergers and targeted infrastructure upgrades like the Forest Hill diamond removal. Both approaches underscore the hub’s critical role and the high cost of its inherent bottlenecks.

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