Region braces for more rail freight on EJ&E lines
By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com
BARRINGTON – It’s easy to miss the small new signs warning drivers at the four places where the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway crosses village roads.
The blue signs, which read “Notice: Increased train traffic,” measure about 1 square foot. That increase could start soon for the towns along the 200-mile line after Canadian National’s purchase of the EJ&E from U.S. Steel.
To critics of the purchase, such as Barrington Village President Karen Darch, the signs are symbolic of CN’s efforts to mitigate the impact of what eventually will become a fourfold increase in rail traffic – too little, too late.
“When the little square signs went up at the crossings, people were like, ‘You have got to be kidding me,’ ” Darch said.
The Montreal-based rail company bought the line to ease rail congestion on its Chicago-bound lines by moving more of it along the EJ&E, which rings the city from Waukegan to Gary, Ind. Most of the towns along the line, and their representatives in Congress, vocally oppose the plan, claiming it will worsen traffic, the environment and emergency response times.
Today marks the end of the federally-mandated 30-day notice period following CN’s successful $300 million purchase of the EJ&E. But the date that more trains will rumble along the line has not been set, said CN spokesman Patrick Waldron.
“We are still working on our integration and operation plan, and the exact date for when that will occur has not yet been determined,” Waldron said.
A Feb. 6 e-mail to Darch from CN community liaison Jim Kvedaras stated that up to six trains daily could start being re-routed along portions of the EJ&E at first.
Although the deal is done, both CN and its opponents are still fighting in a federal appeals court over the Surface Transportation Board’s unanimous 3-0 approval of the purchase Dec. 24.
The opposition group The Regional Answer to Canadian National, which Darch co-chairs with Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, filed a motion asking the court to force the STB to reconsider its decision. Likewise, CN filed a motion asking to court to order the STB to drastically decrease the amount it is being asked to pay for two grade crossings in Aurora and Lynwood.
The STB ruled that CN must pay 67 percent of the cost for grade separation at Ogden Avenue in Aurora and 78.5 percent of the cost for Lincoln Highway in Lynwood. CN’s filing called the requirement “arbitrary and capricious” and estimated a cost to them of at least $151 million.
Weisner said he was not surprised.
“Virtually no mitigation is in place whatsoever, and they add insult to injury, after all their protestations that they want to work with people, they run into court whining about how much they have to pay for their own mess,” Weisner said.
Their representatives in Congress are not happy, either. U.S. Reps. Melissa Bean, D-Barrington, and Don Manzullo, R-Egan, were among several to write the STB urging them to hold firm. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., asked the STB for the same.
CN is required to install cameras at certain crossings to aid emergency agencies, including the Barrington Fire Department and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. One-third of the hospital’s emergency medical calls come from the other side of the tracks, spokesman Mike Deering said.
“The cameras are a silly, hollow gesture, and you can quote me on that,” Deering said.
Darch said area residents were hopeful of a favorable outcome in court but were preparing for the impact of more freight trains running on the line. Among them are Cyndi Zurawski, president of Barrington Print & Copy, which is right on the EJ&E.
“[CN] needed to handle grade separations and infrastructure on this before they switched the traffic over,” she said.
She also said she worried about her proximity to the tracks in the event of a hazardous materials incident. More than 20 million tons of chemicals of all types pass through state railroads a year, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
“If they have a spill, it runs under my desk,” she said with a laugh.
North Barrington resident Ross Koerten said he was indifferent because his daily routine does not include crossing the EJ&E. But emergency response times concern him after watching a video posted on the Internet of local police and fire vehicles trapped at a crossing.
“It’s not affecting my daily life, but I’d rather not have it,” Koerten said.
