(The following story by Cindy Wojdyla Cain appeared on the Suburban Chicago News website on January 11.)
JOLIET — Retiree Bob Gardner, of New Lenox, would like to sit on his deck, look at his pond and relax in his home, which is nestled in the Liberty Square subdivision.
That’s hard to do with trains rumbling by on the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad tracks. It’s not so much the rumbling that’s a problem — it’s the train whistles.
Now Gardner worries that the proposed sale of the EJ&E to Canadian National Railway will even further shatter the peace. Canadian National plans to reroute traffic around Chicago on the “J,” which could more than triple the number of trains on the tracks each day.
Residents voice concern
Gardner and dozens of other concerned Will County area residents traveled to a public meeting at the Jacob Henry Mansion on Thursday to voice their concerns about the pending sale. The meeting was one of seven “scoping” meetings organized by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board as part of its environmental impact study on the acquisition. Attendees left verbal or written comments that will help the STB determine which issues to study. The STB has the power to approve or deny the acquisition.
Most of the residential development in New Lenox is south of the tracks, Gardner said. Increased train traffic will cut those residents off from the proposed new Silver Cross Hospital, proposed shopping centers and the new Metra station, which opened last year.
School buses bringing students to Lincoln-Way West High School, which will open in 2009, also would have to cross the more congested railroad tracks, he said.
Cynthia Cole, of Joliet, attended the meeting to voice her concerns about an EJ&E offshoot line that cuts through the eastern section of the city near where she lives.
“What you’re going to have is an increase in traffic accidents and people trying to outrun the train,” she said.
Trains and barges
Blocked train crossings will cut East Side residents off from hospitals and jobs, she said. Also, the EJ&E track is close to the bridges in downtown Joliet, which means residents could be stopped by both trains and barges in the future.
“You have bridges and you have trains, in some areas within five blocks of each other.”
Kevin Lederer, of Frankfort, said the EJ&E line runs right near his home through the Prestwick subdivision. He fears an increase in train traffic will force more vehicles onto the already congested U.S. 30 because it has a train overpass and not a grade crossing. He also worries about school buses being able to safely navigate more congested tracks.
But Lederer was realistic.
“My understanding is only a handful of (railroad acquisition) cases in the United States have not been approved,” he said. “So we’re trying to gain as much mitigation as we possibly can.”
‘Scoping meetings’
Phillis Johnson-Ball, a STB project manager, said about 40-50 people had attended the afternoon session of the meeting (another was held from 6-8 p.m.).
“It’s been a steady stream, a good stream,” she said. “They have come in the door knowing what they wanted to say to us.”
Most attendees were concerned with noise, emergency response times and access to hospitals.
The EJ&E stretches 198 miles from Waukegan in the north to Gary, Ind., and South Chicago in the east. In Will County, the EJ&E tracks run through Plainfield, Crest Hill, Joliet, New Lenox, Frankfort and Mokena.
For future scoping meeting dates and locations go to www.stb.dot.gov. The STB also has set up a hot line for more information on the proposed acquisition. The number is (800) 347-0689.
Written comments can be sent to the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E. Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 20423, Attention: Phillis Johnson-Ball, Environmental Filing, STB, Finance Docket No. 35087. The deadline is Feb. 1.