Post by sushi on Apr 6, 2008 5:41:37 GMT -6
City pitches in $10,000 to prevent EJ&E sale
April 6, 2008
By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com
Naperville city officials are so concerned about the $300 million proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway by the Canadian National Railway that they are spending $10,000 for a lobbyist to represent the city's and region's opposition to the deal.
Earlier this week the City Council agreed to formally join a consortium that includes officials from DuPage County, Will County, Plainfield, Aurora and about 50 other municipalities as far away as Indiana.
All of the communities could be affected by the proposed sale. In Naperville, the EJ&E crosses 15 intersections. If the deal goes through, rail traffic would nearly triple to about 42 trains per day passing through the area.
"I drive my daughter to Waubonsie (Valley High School) every day. If we get caught by a train, we are going to be late," said Councilwoman Darlene Senger, who is serving as the city's representative on the consortium. "People who are trying to commute to work are going to have difficulties, too. The example we use is Ogden Avenue - an area that is already backed up during commute times. What if you need to catch the Metra (train) to the city and you get caught by one of the (EJ&E) trains?"
Neither the city nor the consortium has yet hired a lobbyist. Rather, officials plan to meet again Friday to set up a central organization. Aurora, among other cities, has already chipped in with $15,000.
"We wanted to be loud and clear about the consequences of this deal," Senger said. "If it goes through, we are affecting local businesses, traffic - there's also a concern over hazardous materials and we want to keep the residents in mind when it comes to the amount of noise these trains create. A lot of those trains are at-grade crossings, which would cost a lot of money to improve."
City leaders collected comments from the meeting in March and sent them to the federal Surface Transportation Board, which must approve the sale. The board is awaiting the results of an environmental impact study. After the study is concluded, the board will then draft a report and give communities time to comment on it.
Meanwhile, Canadian National has argued that the sale will have a positive impact on Chicago's outer region by reducing congestion along inner-city rail lines. But Senger said municipalities like Naperville are already high-traffic areas.
"The city of Barrington suggested that the lines should be moved out further west where there isn't as much density," she said.
Local officials also said the deal will have a direct effect on Metra's proposed STAR Line. The suburb-to-suburb service would link 100 communities together with one line.
April 6, 2008
By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com
Naperville city officials are so concerned about the $300 million proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway by the Canadian National Railway that they are spending $10,000 for a lobbyist to represent the city's and region's opposition to the deal.
Earlier this week the City Council agreed to formally join a consortium that includes officials from DuPage County, Will County, Plainfield, Aurora and about 50 other municipalities as far away as Indiana.
All of the communities could be affected by the proposed sale. In Naperville, the EJ&E crosses 15 intersections. If the deal goes through, rail traffic would nearly triple to about 42 trains per day passing through the area.
"I drive my daughter to Waubonsie (Valley High School) every day. If we get caught by a train, we are going to be late," said Councilwoman Darlene Senger, who is serving as the city's representative on the consortium. "People who are trying to commute to work are going to have difficulties, too. The example we use is Ogden Avenue - an area that is already backed up during commute times. What if you need to catch the Metra (train) to the city and you get caught by one of the (EJ&E) trains?"
Neither the city nor the consortium has yet hired a lobbyist. Rather, officials plan to meet again Friday to set up a central organization. Aurora, among other cities, has already chipped in with $15,000.
"We wanted to be loud and clear about the consequences of this deal," Senger said. "If it goes through, we are affecting local businesses, traffic - there's also a concern over hazardous materials and we want to keep the residents in mind when it comes to the amount of noise these trains create. A lot of those trains are at-grade crossings, which would cost a lot of money to improve."
City leaders collected comments from the meeting in March and sent them to the federal Surface Transportation Board, which must approve the sale. The board is awaiting the results of an environmental impact study. After the study is concluded, the board will then draft a report and give communities time to comment on it.
Meanwhile, Canadian National has argued that the sale will have a positive impact on Chicago's outer region by reducing congestion along inner-city rail lines. But Senger said municipalities like Naperville are already high-traffic areas.
"The city of Barrington suggested that the lines should be moved out further west where there isn't as much density," she said.
Local officials also said the deal will have a direct effect on Metra's proposed STAR Line. The suburb-to-suburb service would link 100 communities together with one line.
