City of West Chicago Resolution States Objections
to Proposed Railway Acquisition
West Chicago, Illinois: January 22, 2008 - A Resolution passed by the West Chicago City
Council at its January 21, 2008 meeting, formally conveys the City’s
objections to the proposed acquisition of the EJ&E West Company
by the Canadian National Railway Corporation and its U.S.
subsidiary, Grand Trunk Corporation (collectively, “CN”) and urges
the Surface Transportation Board to disapprove the proposed
transaction based on the negative impact it will have on the City of
West Chicago, its residents, business customers and the
region.
The
Resolution, which may be accessed here (EJ&E Sale - PDF - 185k)
outlines its objections through staggering statistics related to the
increase in freight train traffic that such an acquisition would
pose. According to estimates provided by CN, the average number of
daily trains that run along the segment of the EJ&E rail line
that runs through West Chicago, north of the Union Pacific tracks,
will increase from 4.4 to 24.4 trains per day, and that the gross
tons of freight per day that run over that segment will increase
from 14,397 tons to 184,969 tons, an increase of 1,185 percent which
would be the greatest of all locations along the EJ&E.
CN
further estimates that the average number of daily trains that run
along the segment of the EJ&E rail line that runs through West
Chicago, south of the Union Pacific tracks, will increase from 10.7
to 34.5 trains per day with an increase in gross tonnage of 294%.
Increases in traffic
congestion, noise and pollution are not the only by-products of such
increases. The projected increase in the volume of train traffic and
rail related operations will result in more frequent blockages of
the at-grade crossings in West Chicago, negatively impacting
emergency vehicular access and resulting in longer emergency
response times. It will also present a significantly greater risk of
accident at those grade crossings traversed by West Chicago
Community High School students walking to and from school.
Additionally, train
lengths will be much longer than current EJ&E train lengths and
hazardous materials’ traffic in West Chicago, north of the Union
Pacific tracks would increase from the current 21 carloads per year
to 265 carloads per year and 31 carloads per year to 301 carloads
per year for the line south of the Union Pacific tracks.
The
City has asked that the Section of Environmental Analysis of the
Surface Transportation Board include and incorporate the issues,
concerns and comments of the City of West Chicago set forth in their
Resolution in the scope of study for the draft, and the final,
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) which may take between 6 – 18
months to complete. “We have sent a clear message to the Surface
Transportation Board that this proposal is not in the best interest
of our community,” said West Chicago Mayor Michael B. Kwasman.
Concerned citizens can
submit written comments and have oral statements recorded for the
public record until February 1, 2008; this information will be used
by the Surface Transportation Board in developing the final scope of
the EIS. Written comments should be sent to:
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street,
SW
Washington, DC 20423
Attention: Phillis
Johnson-Ball
Environmental Filing
STB Finance Docket No.
35087
Electronic comments may also be submitted by
visiting the Board’s website, http://www.stb.dot.gov/, under
the heading E-Filing. Please refer to STB Finance Docket No. 35087
in all correspondence, including E-filings, addressed to the Board.
Additional information is available on the project website (http://www.stbfinancedocket35087.com/)
or the toll-free project information line
(1-800-347-0689).
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