(The following story by Keith Benman appeared on the Munster Times website on April 13, 2009.)
MUNSTER, Ind. — Canadian National Railway Co. announced Monday it has reached a pact with the City of Gary to reduce noise and improve emergency response in relation to trains it will be running through the city on tracks formerly owned by the EJ&E Railway Co.
Reaching a pact with Gary means CN has now reached voluntary mitigation agreements with all major Indiana communities crossed by the EJ&E, according to Gordon Trafton, a CN senior vice president.
“This achievement demonstrates that CN is doing what we said we would do,” Trafton said.
The agreement with Gary also includes funding for economic development.
CN on Monday did not have specific figures on how much will be spent on the Gary projects.
CN closed on its $300 million purchase of the EJ&E earlier this year and expects to triple rail traffic on the Indiana portions of the short-haul line. The proposed purchase was the subject of more than year of environmental investigation by federal regulators.
Many towns opposed the purchase during that process, fearing the increased numbers of trains would tie up traffic and hamper emergency response in their communities.