Skip to content
News | Truck and rail backups are clogging roads,…
53°F
Wednesday, April 29th 2026

eNewspaper

Trending:

The Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard seen from Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022. Norfolk Southern has been trying to double the size of the terminal in Chicago since 2013, when it purchased 105 city lots out of bankruptcy which has sparked a public outcry over environmental concerns.
E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune
The Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard seen from Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022. Norfolk Southern has been trying to double the size of the terminal in Chicago since 2013, when it purchased 105 city lots out of bankruptcy which has sparked a public outcry over environmental concerns.

Truck and rail backups are clogging roads, creating more pollution and raising health risks for Chicagoans

By | jwambsgans@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
The Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard seen from Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022. Norfolk Southern has been trying to double the size of the terminal in Chicago since 2013, when it purchased 105 city lots out of bankruptcy which has sparked a public outcry over environmental concerns.
The Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard seen from Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022. Norfolk Southern has been trying to double the size of the terminal in Chicago since 2013, when it purchased 105 city lots out of bankruptcy which has sparked a public outcry over environmental concerns.
Norfolk Southern Railroad Yard is seen adjacent to the Parkway Gardens homes in the Washington Park neighborhood on Aug. 30, 2022. Some of the biggest concentrations of diesel soot have consistently been at 63rd and State Street, located near the housing complex, with readings two to three times higher than at any nearby monitor on the South Side.
Norfolk Southern Railroad Yard is seen adjacent to the Parkway Gardens homes in the Washington Park neighborhood on Aug. 30, 2022. Some of the biggest concentrations of diesel soot have consistently been at 63rd and State Street, located near the housing complex, with readings two to three times higher than at any nearby monitor on the South Side.
“I don’t smell fresh air anymore. It smells like pollution,” says Keonya Wells, who lives across the street from the 63rd Street Norfolk Southern Rail Yard.
Keonya Wells walks her children to school along 63rd Street adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Sept. 15, 2022.
Keonya Wells walks her children to school along 63rd Street adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Sept. 15, 2022.
A truck with its cargo at the Norfolk Southern 63rd Street intermodal terminal on Sept. 14, 2022.
A truck with its cargo at the Norfolk Southern 63rd Street intermodal terminal on Sept. 14, 2022.
Kids play basketball near the Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard in Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022.
Kids play basketball near the Norfolk Southern 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard in Englewood on Sept. 13, 2022.
The CenterPoint Intermodal Center/BNSF Railway, near Elwood on Aug. 30, 2022. It's Chicago's biggest intermodal terminal.
The CenterPoint Intermodal Center/BNSF Railway, near Elwood on Aug. 30, 2022. It’s Chicago’s biggest intermodal terminal.
Lorena Zepeda, a mother and a volunteer school crossing guard in Brighton Park, helps students cross the street in front of a truck transporting freight at the end of the school day at 46th Street and Kedzie Avenue on Aug. 30, 2022. She says traffic congestion will get worse if Amazon proceeds with plans for a major new warehouse a few blocks away.
Lorena Zepeda, a mother and a volunteer school crossing guard in Brighton Park, helps students cross the street in front of a truck transporting freight at the end of the school day at 46th Street and Kedzie Avenue on Aug. 30, 2022. She says traffic congestion will get worse if Amazon proceeds with plans for a major new warehouse a few blocks away.
Cargo containers in the BNSF Corwith Intermodal Facility in the Brighton Park neighborhood on Sep. 6, 2022.
Cargo containers in the BNSF Corwith Intermodal Facility in the Brighton Park neighborhood on Sep. 6, 2022.
Norfolk Southern Railroad Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Aug. 30, 2022.
Norfolk Southern Railroad Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Aug. 30, 2022.
Children walk to school along 63rd Street near the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Sept. 14, 2022.
Children walk to school along 63rd Street near the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard in the Washington Park neighborhood on Sept. 14, 2022.
Freight trains stack up adjacent to the Stevenson Expressway near Pulaski Road in the Little Village neighborhood on Sept. 6, 2022.
Freight trains stack up adjacent to the Stevenson Expressway near Pulaski Road in the Little Village neighborhood on Sept. 6, 2022.
Trucks drive through the CenterPoint Intermodal Center/BNSF Railway, near Elwood, on Aug. 30, 2022.
Trucks drive through the CenterPoint Intermodal Center/BNSF Railway, near Elwood, on Aug. 30, 2022.
The Union Pacific intermodal terminal in Joliet on Aug. 30, 2022. The railroad has recently built cranes to double unloading capacity at the facility.
The Union Pacific intermodal terminal in Joliet on Aug. 30, 2022. The railroad has recently built cranes to double unloading capacity at the facility.
Trucks enter Norfolk Southern's 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard on Sept. 13, 2022.
Trucks enter Norfolk Southern’s 47th Street Yard Intermodal Yard on Sept. 13, 2022.

More in News