(The following story by Lynda Hemmerling appeared on the Gary Post-Tribune website on April 28.)
GARY, Ind. — Petitions opposed to the acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway by Canadian National have been trickling into Schererville Town Hall.
After local elected officials voiced concerns about the proposed sale and filed a legal petition against it, they are seeking public opinion on the issue.
The town mailed petitions in the last set of water bills to about 13,000 residences. The water bills are due this week. Town manager Robert Volkmann said he expects thousands of petitions to be returned.
The petitions will be forwarded to the Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that must approve CN’s purchase.
Town Council member Tom Thomas Schmitt, 4th Ward, said the town is not against railroads, which are necessary for the transportation of goods and other business; however, there are many problems that need to be worked out. Traffic congestion, safety, environmental impact and signalization are some of the major issues, he said.
CN’s proposed purchase would allow trains to bypass the city of Chicago, but put additional train traffic in Illinois suburbs and Northwest Indiana. The EJ&E reaches from Waukegan, Ill., and Joliet, Ill., to Gary. It is the east/west track that crosses U.S. 30 in Lynwood, Ill.; Lake Street and Hart Street in Dyer; and 213th Street and Kennedy Avenue in Schererville.
It is anticipated that these crossings will experience an increase from 10 to some 30 trains per day at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, Volkmann said. An increase in hazardous materials transported on the line is also expected.
The STB is in the fact-finding stage and has ordered CN to commission an environmental impact study of the property. The scope of the study has not been determined yet and the STB is seeking public comment on the issue.
Communities in Illinois and Indiana – some of which have banded together to form the Regional Answer to the Canadian Railroad (TRAC) — are gathering information to submit to the STB. They hope the STB will recognize their concerns need to be addressed and that the impact study should include an acquisition impact of the communities it would affect.
“We want to get the overall viewpoint from the public in our town,” Schmitt said. “We’ve hooked up with other towns so our voice will be heard. Naturally, more voices at one time is more powerful. There are a great amount of concerns out there. We want them to tell us how, why and where they will address our issues.”
Schererville officials said they expect the STB will make a statement this summer and then wait from additional review and comments from communities before making a final decision.