(The following story by Regan Foster appeared at Nwherald.com on February 23.)
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — A pending $300 million rail purchase that could increase the number of freight trains running along lightly used suburban lines has both winners and losers, Sen. Richard Durbin said Thursday.
Unfortunately, the senior senator from Illinois added, many of those who stand to lose the most live in the north and northwest suburbs.
Durbin and Rep. Melissa Bean met with suburban leaders Thursday to hear their thoughts on, among other topics, Canadian National’s pending purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad.
“This is a complicated proposal,” Durbin said. “We’ve got to work this thing out, not just jump on it.”
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern, also known as the EJ&E, runs about 200 miles in a massive suburban loop from Waukegan to southern Chicago. Canadian National wants to buy the tracks as a way to mitigate congestion in the Chicago hub.
“All the [large freight railways] recognize the challenges of transportation congestion in the Chicago region,” said Jim Kvedaras, Canadian National senior manager for U.S. public and government affairs. “It makes sense that this is private industry’s way to step up and solve some of the congestion issues.”
Although they don’t enter McHenry County, the tracks do cross several access points, including Routes 14 and 59 and Lake-Cook Road, at ground level. Canadian National officials estimated that freight traffic through the northwest suburbs would increase by about 15 trains a day.
Area residents have raised red flags over the impact that increase could have on already congested roadways, suburban neighborhoods, and environmentally sensitive areas that abut the line.
In addition to their social importance, Durbin said, the tracks could hold the key an intersuburban commuter line, and provide an access route that Amtrak uses on its runs to Champaign and Carbondale.
Durbin raised red flags over the possibility that the sale could add to timing problems on the chronically delayed Amtrak line.
Kvedaras said any potential scheduling conflicts would have to be reviewed, but added that Canadian National pledged to keep rails open for Amtrak to use.
Bean, whose Barrington home would be directly impacted by the purchase, pushed for a full federal review of the proposal.
Preliminary results of that review, meant to analyze the environmental, social and economic impact the acquisition would have on the area, could be revealed late this summer.
Bean praised the thousands of northwest suburban residents who flooded a series of public information sessions conducted this winter, to make known their thoughts on the acquisition.
She added that the response captured the attention of both the company and the federal regulatory agency reviewing the buyout.
“[Canadian National],’ ” she said, “is used to: ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ ”