(The following story by Richard Wronski appeared on the Chicago Tribune website on July 24.)
CHICAGO — Scores of Chicago-area communities Friday could learn the potential environmental impact of a controversial plan to reroute freight traffic around the city and through outlying suburbs.
A federal regulatory board will issue a much-anticipated report on the effects of increased train traffic if the Canadian National Railway Co. is allowed to buy the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co., sources said.
The report by the Surface Transportation Board will address issues like noise, pollution and traffic congestion.
A key element will be the question of whether underpasses should be built at some of the more than 133 grade crossings along the EJ&E. This is a major point of contention between CN and many suburbs.
The environmental review will be a crucial factor in the board’s decision to approve or reject the proposed $300 million purchase. The board also is expected to clarify the timetable for the decision.
CN’s plan to bypass Chicago’s congested rail corridor has dozens of suburban communities, the City of Chicago and northwest Indiana weighing in. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama and several members of Congress oppose the plan.
The proposal would shift CN freight traffic onto the 198-mile EJ&E line, running in an arc from Waukegan to Joliet to northwest Indiana. Much of that freight comes from overseas through the railroad’s Canadian ports.
Chicago, Cook County and nearby suburbs support the plan because they believe it will lessen their burden.