(The following story by Michael Gilbert appeared on the New Lenox Patriot website on June 24.)
NEW LENOX, Ill. — New Lenox has joined the growing list of communities opposed to the added railroad congestion set to take place should Canadian National Railroad’s proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway occur.
Village officials voted 6-to-0 at the board meeting on Monday, June 16 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with The Regional Answer to Canadian National (TRAC), a coalition of west and southwest suburbs opposed to the possible deal. Trustee Keith Madsen abstained from voting because he works for another railroad company.
Along with adopting the intergovernmental agreement, the village board also approved spending up to $10,000 for lobbying and legal fees to support its claim that should Canadian National (CN) acquire the EJ & E line the extra railway traffic will have an adverse effect on public health, safety, welfare and vehicular traffic.
New Lenox has hired the Chicago-based law firm Querrey and Harrow Ltd. to provide legal assistance. The firm will be paid around $250 per hour.
Frankfort, Mokena, Plainfield, Crest Hill and Barrington Hills have also signed an intergovernmental agreement with TRAC, New Lenox Village Manager Russ Loebe said.
New Lenox officials have vocally opposed the sale of the line since CN filed an application last year with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to purchase EJ & E rails.
CN hopes to acquire EJ & E’s nearly 200 miles of track that encircle Chicago from Waukegan through Joliet and east to Gary, Ind. to reroute some of its freight traffic from congested Chicago. Acquiring the rail line would likely cost CN around $300 million.
New Lenox would see the number of freight trains passing daily through the village increase from six to 28 should the acquisition take place, Loebe said. More than 30 other communities would also see an increase in train traffic, he said.
“It’s a five-fold increase,” Loebe said. “These trains would be coming at all hours of the day. It would cause a serious traffic problem.”
The Surface Transportation Board has yet to approve the purchase of the EJ & E line to CN. The two sides are still working out the details on who will pay the billions of dollars needed for sound walls and underpasses.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann has said the sale is “very likely” and the village has shifted its focus from all-out opposition to planning for the increased train traffic.
Trustees passed a resolution in February that included seven conditions the village is requesting be implemented and paid for by CN if the sale is completed. The seven conditions are: the construction of grade separation roadway crossings at feasible locations, especially Gougar and Cedar roads; improvements at all remaining at-grade crossings to facilitate quiet zones along the railroad; transition points from dual to single tracks to occur outside the village; installation of barriers along the tracks between Gougar and Schoolhouse roads to buffer adjacent areas; crossing improvements and installation of signals for pedestrian crossings; allocation of resources and a written plan detailing how hazardous waste spills will be handled and reduction of freight traffic to accommodate the proposed Metra STAR commuter line. The Metra STAR line has been discussed for several years and would link suburbs to O’Hare International Airport. The line would likely share tracks with EJ & E rails.
In March, New Lenox officials hired the Metro Transportation Group to conduct a traffic study where the village’s five roadways intersect EJ & E lines. Loebe said a report on the traffic study should be completed and ready for village officials to view in the next few weeks. He said the study shows that with expected population growth in New Lenox and surrounding communities, freight trains causing vehicle backups four or five blocks long now could be closer to a mile in the future.
“You have to consider [the traffic delays] not only now but over a period of time as the population grows,” Loebe said.
Baldermann said Illinois Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin are both opposed to CN’s purchase of the railway. The mayor encouraged any residents against the acquisition to write or e-mail their congressman. The village has also launched a Web site, www.nlrailsense.net, to serve as a source of information and a means of communication about the proposed purchase. The Web site boasts timely updates, e-mail capability, links for news and tools for grassroots organizing.