(The following story by Mary Wisniewski appeared on the Sun-Times website on August 6.)
CHICAGO — Suburban legislators outraged over a recent Surface Transportation Board report on the proposed purchase of the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railway want to change the board’s mission to make it more focused on community interests, instead of industry needs.
“It’s a matter of simple fairness,” said Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), co-sponsor of a bill that would require the federal board to consider the impact of rail transactions on local communities as part of its core mission.
“A rail company shouldn’t be able to unilaterally move into a community, jeopardize residents’ safety and quality of life, then shoulder taxpayers with the costs,” she said.
The issue involves Canadian National Railway’s proposed $300 million purchase of EJ&E. A report last month by the Surface Transportation Board found that 15 railroad crossings from the northern suburbs to northern Indiana would see huge increases in freight-caused traffic delays — which may require costly solutions like bridges over railroad tracks.
But the report also found that historically railroads have not paid more than 5 percent to 10 percent of the cost of grade separations, which can cost $50 million each.
Biggert, along with fellow Republicans Don Manzullo and Peter Roskam and Democrats Melissa Bean and Bill Foster, joined House Transportation Committee Chair James Oberstar (D-Minn.) in pushing for the board overhaul. They announced the proposal at a hearing Tuesday on the CN deal.
Montreal-based CN said it planned to fully participate in board hearings on the impact of the purchase, and to meet with communities along the EJ&E line in an effort to address train traffic concerns.
CN argues that 60 communities would experience rail congestion relief, roughly twice the number that would see more traffic. The board could rule on the proposed purchase by Dec. 31.