Post by title1parent on Jun 18, 2008 6:51:40 GMT -5
City joins group fighting EJ&E sale
Legal battle looms over railroad acquisition
June 18, 2008
By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com
The Naperville City Council decided Tuesday night to join the fight against Canadian National Railway's acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.
The council agreed to join a regional committee that is set against the $300 million acquisition which could cause extreme amounts of pollution, noise and traffic if the takeover is approved by the Federal Surface Transportation Board, city officials said.
The council unanimously approved the measure that will cost the city $10,000 to join the Regional Answer to Canadian National. The group - which consists of several government entities in the region, including Barrington, Downers Grove, Aurora, DuPage County and Will County - aims to raise awareness about the negative effects of the potential acquisition and to pay possible legal fees.
Several council members said the city shouldn't get its hopes up too high about fighting a legal battle over the acquisition.
"We're going to have to all get very realistic about what we most would like to see get mitigated," said Councilman Robert Fieseler. "Individual communities could peel off with enough pressure, and that could weaken our stance."
Safety, and the increased volume of freight traffic at grade crossings, are among concerns cited by opponents.
"We are swimming upstream in terms of commerce given the economic conditions we are under," said Councilman James Boyajian. "There is going to be some compelling pressure to approve this (acquisition) ... I hope we are opposing it to make this more palatable, including the at-grade crossings. To simply say that we are against this would not be productive," he said.
If the acquisition is approved, Canadian National officials have said the company will spend $140 million on track improvements.
But Marcie Schatz, Naperville's director of transportation, engineering and development, said the company has refused to put any of that money into the at-grade crossings, which almost certainly will tie up traffic among the 15 intersections where trains cross in Naperville.
"We're going to put together data that will show the impacts of these trains, particularly at locations like U.S. 34," Schatz said. "We also have to point out its impact on the Metra Star Line."
The trains will potentially be double in length and will likely pass at 45 miles per hour. Freight train traffic also could increase to 42 per day from an average of 15.7 throughout the region.
Mayor A. George Pradel said U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert has also pushed the issue in Springfield.
"I think that we're on the right track," Pradel said.
Legal battle looms over railroad acquisition
June 18, 2008
By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com
The Naperville City Council decided Tuesday night to join the fight against Canadian National Railway's acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.
The council agreed to join a regional committee that is set against the $300 million acquisition which could cause extreme amounts of pollution, noise and traffic if the takeover is approved by the Federal Surface Transportation Board, city officials said.
The council unanimously approved the measure that will cost the city $10,000 to join the Regional Answer to Canadian National. The group - which consists of several government entities in the region, including Barrington, Downers Grove, Aurora, DuPage County and Will County - aims to raise awareness about the negative effects of the potential acquisition and to pay possible legal fees.
Several council members said the city shouldn't get its hopes up too high about fighting a legal battle over the acquisition.
"We're going to have to all get very realistic about what we most would like to see get mitigated," said Councilman Robert Fieseler. "Individual communities could peel off with enough pressure, and that could weaken our stance."
Safety, and the increased volume of freight traffic at grade crossings, are among concerns cited by opponents.
"We are swimming upstream in terms of commerce given the economic conditions we are under," said Councilman James Boyajian. "There is going to be some compelling pressure to approve this (acquisition) ... I hope we are opposing it to make this more palatable, including the at-grade crossings. To simply say that we are against this would not be productive," he said.
If the acquisition is approved, Canadian National officials have said the company will spend $140 million on track improvements.
But Marcie Schatz, Naperville's director of transportation, engineering and development, said the company has refused to put any of that money into the at-grade crossings, which almost certainly will tie up traffic among the 15 intersections where trains cross in Naperville.
"We're going to put together data that will show the impacts of these trains, particularly at locations like U.S. 34," Schatz said. "We also have to point out its impact on the Metra Star Line."
The trains will potentially be double in length and will likely pass at 45 miles per hour. Freight train traffic also could increase to 42 per day from an average of 15.7 throughout the region.
Mayor A. George Pradel said U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert has also pushed the issue in Springfield.
"I think that we're on the right track," Pradel said.
