Today, Amtrak announced it has been awarded two grants from the Federal Railroad Administration. These grants will fund the construction of a new maintenance facility along Canal Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood. As Sox Machine reported in May, this facility is the first step in vacating the 14th Street rail yard in hopes of new developments, including a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox.
Amtrak estimates it will take 18 months to develop and construct its new maintenance facility, with hopes of starting construction this fall. If that timeline holds, Amtrak would project moving out of the South Loop in Spring 2029. That creates an opportunity for a new baseball stadium to be built after the White Sox's Rate Field lease expires after the 2030 season, and also be ready to host the 100th MLB All-Star Game in 2033, should Major League Baseball choose to honor the exhibition's centennial by awarding it to the inaugural host.
In addition to funding the new facility, $87 million has been granted to improve the viaducts from Cermak to Pershing. For those who have walked underneath the viaducts getting to White Sox games, you’d know how sorely the columns are in need of repair.
The company spearheading this project is Canal Edge, a new spinoff company of Justin Ishbia. He got involved with Amtrak’s project last August and has been busy lining things up to strike this public-private partnership. By helping Amtrak move into a better maintenance facility that will not only improve rail transportation in Chicago but also throughout the Midwest, Ishbia is clearing 47 acres of valuable real estate in the South Loop.
Ishbia provided a comment in Amtrak’s press release:
“Canal Edge is proud to partner with Amtrak and take responsibility for delivering this critical investment in Chicago’s rail infrastructure. As the heart of America’s passenger rail network, Chicago deserves infrastructure that supports its vital role for decades to come. By committing substantial private capital and standing behind the delivery of this project, we are investing in the South Side, creating union jobs, and building infrastructure that will strengthen Chicago and the national rail network for generations.”
But as Crain’s Chicago Business reports, there’s more to this plan than just helping Amtrak. It appears Canal Edge also has a deal with BNSF for its 20 acres at 14th Street. Another Ishbia business entity also comes to light as helping with this South Loop project.
According to Crain’s reporting, Ishbia is working to purchase the 20-acre lot BNSF resides on, as the rail company seeks to move its maintenance facility that borders South Canal Street and Roosevelt Road. If the deal closes, Ishbia would own the land from West 18th Street to Roosevelt Road, which creates plenty of space to build a new baseball stadium and entertainment district. City River Holdings, another business that Ishbia is involved with, is helping develop this lot. They are seeking $1.8 billion in federal loans under the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program.
For now, early reports say the project's true intention is to help Northwestern Medicine build a new facility on this lot, including residential and commercial offices. Ishbia sits on Northwestern Medicine's board of directors, and the company has an immediate care center within the Roosevelt Collection, across the street from both the 14th Street railyard and Project 78.
Medical facilities in Chicago can be quite large. The Rush University Medical Center campus redevelopments have exceeded $1 billion over 10 years, with the main hospital tower built in 2012 and the Rubschlager Outpatient Center completed in 2023. Currently, the University of Chicago Medicine is constructing its new 575,000-square-foot cancer pavilion, which has a price tag of $815 million. That new facility is expected to open in April 2027.
It’s feasible for Northwestern Medicine to keep up with Rush and the University of Chicago by investing large amounts of money in the South Loop. But insiders speculate that all this work Ishbia is doing is to clear a large plot of land to build a new baseball stadium.
So far, Ishbia has gained widespread support from key Illinois lawmakers, including U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. Continuing to leverage federal programs to secure loans eases pressure on residents in Chicago and across Illinois to help fund a new stadium. Essentially, Ishbia has found a much clearer path in developing a new complex than Chicago Bears ownership.
First, Amtrak needs to move to Bridgeport. The railroad company will host two community meetings: the first next Thursday at 6:00 PM CT at the Armour Square Fieldhouse, 3309 South Shields Ave., and the second at the Pui Tak Center at 2216 S. Wentworth Ave. on Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
