(The following story by Dan Petrella, appeared on the Suburban Chicago News website on December 27.)
DuPAGE COUNTY, Ill. — Citing safety and environmental concerns, DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom recently announced his opposition to the purchase of a freight line running through the western portion of the county.
The Canadian National Railway announced in September its plans to buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway for $300 million from U.S. Steel Corp. The railway has said the acquisition will connect its existing Chicago-area lines, allowing some freight trains to bypass the congested rails running in and out of the city. Before the acquisition can be finalized, Canadian National must obtain the approval of the federal Surface Transportation Board, which could take as long as 18 months.
The EJ&E Railway runs from Waukegan to East Chicago, Ind., bypassing Chicago and passing through DuPage in West Chicago, Warrenville and Naperville._Schillerstrom said the resulting increase in rail traffic through those towns led him to oppose the acquisition. He joins leaders from Barrington and other communities along the EJ&E Railway in speaking out against the plan.
“I am very, very concerned that the increase in freight-train traffic caused by this acquisition would create adverse impacts on the communities along the EJ&E rail line,” Schillerstrom said in a written statement, “particularly as it relates to safety at crossings, vehicular travel delays and noise and air quality — all of which compromise the quality of life our residents have come to enjoy.”
To gain approval from the Surface Transportation Board, Canadian National must prepare a statement detailing the environmental impact of the proposed acquisition. Railway spokesman Jim Kvedaras said routing traffic around Chicago might reduce the negative impact trains have on the environment.
“If this takes place as we envision, we’ll be spending fewer locomotive hours in the region,” he said, adding that this could result in less pollution throughout the Chicago area.
While some western DuPage communities would see more train traffic as a result of the acquisition, towns in the northeastern part of the county, such as Addison, Elmhurst and Villa Park, would see less, Kvedaras said. The goal of the project is to reduce congestion throughout the region, he said.
Canadian National has said it will not allow passenger trains to operate on the tracks after the acquisition. Schillerstrom voiced concerns that this might jeopardize the future of Metra’s proposed STAR line, which would run from Joliet to O’Hare International Airport. Metra would have to lay new tracks within the railroad right of way.
Kvedaras said Canadian National has a good working relationship with Metra and does not believe the acquisition would be a major roadblock to the STAR line project.