Amtrak Proposed Rail Facility in Bridgeport

We want to raise awareness about Amtrak’s proposed maintenance facility along S. Canal Street in Bridgeport, and to call attention to a gap in how information about this project has reached our community.  

CASL serves thousands of Chinese American and AAPI families in Chinatown, Bridgeport, and Armour Square. From our current records, 2,945 active and former CASL clients in the 60616 zip code live within a half mile of the proposed Canal and 33rd site, and 7,620 live within a mile.  This project is happening in our backyard.  

For much of this process, public information about this project — meeting notices, environmental review updates, and opportunities for public comment — circulated in English only, largely through social media. This has limited information reaching the communities we serve in a timely manner. Chinese-language translations have become more available in recent weeks, which CASL welcomes, but earlier gaps in access mean many residents may still be catching up on decisions and timelines that were already in motion before translated information reached them.  

This Amtrak project has drawn growing public attention. Elected officials — including Ald. Nicole Lee, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Danny Davis, State Rep. Theresa Mah, Cook County Commissioner John Daley, Ald. Pat Dowell, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas — have publicly called for greater transparency and community input on this project. CASL adds to that call the voice of a community that has too often been left out of these conversations by language and access barriers. Every resident affected by a decision this size deserves the information needed to understand it and the chance to weigh in, regardless of what language they speak.  

We are calling on Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, and elected officials to:  

• Make project information, notices, and comment opportunities available in Chinese, not English only  

• Extend timelines for public comment and community engagement to allow for real translation and outreach  

• Clarify the level of environmental review this project has undergone, given its scale and proximity to a dense residential community  

Amtrak has shared that they will be releasing additional information and plans in the coming weeks. CASL Advocacy will continue to monitor this project and attend the next community meeting with Amtrak on September 17 at 2121 S Union (Carpenters’ Union Training Center).

For more information on Amtrak’s Midwest Maintenance Facility, visit Amtrak’s website or sign up for updates from Ald. Nicole Lee.