Opponents give STB earful on CN rail purchase

Opponents give STB earful on CN rail purchase A crowd of 5,100 turned out at a hearing in the Chicago
suburb of Barrington, Ill., on Canadian National Railway’s plan to purchase the short line Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad Co.
   A report in the Daily Herald newspaper said that during the hearing, only one of the 80 speakers spoke in favor of the plan and he was a CN executive.
   Residents are concerned about a big increase in rail traffic and that the length of trains could create road traffic congestion and delay fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. The Wednesday hearing was the first of eight planned in the Chicago area by the STB, which must approve the CN purchase.
   CN, which announced plans to buy the EJ&E one year ago, said Chicago rail congestion can force freight trains to take more than 24 hours to travel a 30-mile area from Howard Street on the north to 127th Street on the south of Chicago.
   It said by linking EJ&E lines with CN’s lines, companies transporting their goods will benefit from faster transit times, more reliable service and general increased flow of rail traffic in the region will improve. And it notes while some suburban communities will see more rail traffic, many will see less.
   CN said the $300 million purchase will improve service to large and small companies across the Midwest and throughout the nation, and will relieve serious rail congestion and bring significant economic and environmental benefits to the Chicago region.
   But opposition to the plan is running high in some communities.