(The Associated Press circulated the following on January 17.)
GARY, Ind. — Some northwest Indiana officials are concerned about what Canadian National Railway’s purchase of Illinois-based Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co. will mean for their communities.
Canadian National is looking to improve the efficiency of its railroad, which cuts through Chicago in five different directions, by improving the time it takes to move its trains around the city. By buying the EJ&E for $300 million, it will be able to avoid Chicago’s congested city core.
But surrounding cities in Illinois and Indiana say it would add to their headaches by increasing rail traffic on the EJ&E threefold through towns like Griffith, Schererville, Dyer, and the city of Gary.
Gary City Councilman Roy Pratt said during a federal Surface Transportation Board open house on Wednesday he doesn’t see an economic benefit for Gary in terms of jobs or tax revenue.
“It doesn’t do anything for the city of Gary other than bring in hazardous material. And we don’t have the resources of Chicago if we have an incident here,” Pratt said.
Jim Kvedaras, a Canadian National spokesman, said the railroad has an exemplary record of safety with its hazardous material, getting it to its destination safely 99.997 percent of the time.
“There’s a reason why (so much) hazardous material travels by rail; we can move large quantities safely and efficiently,” Kvedaras said.
The federal Surface Transportation Board is gathering information to determine what impact the Canadian rail company’s plans will have on the environment, safety and local communities.
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., in a comment filed with the Surface Transportation Board earlier this month, blasted the agency for holding just one meeting in northwest Indiana. He called on the federal agency to have more in the future. The federal agency already has conducted four meetings to take comment in Illinois suburbs.
Phillis Johnson-Ball, Surface Transportation Board deputy section chief, said preparation of the environmental impact statement could take a year or more. The agency expects to hold more public meetings after it releases a draft environmental statement.