New Lenox Rail Sense

December 4, 2008 / By DUAA ELDEIB / Joliet Herald News

Canadian National Railway’s plan to purchase EJ&E Railway and divert to it a substantial amount of freight traffic would translate into $267 million in the nation’s gross domestic product — of which Chicago region’s gross regional product would increase by $60 million — a study released Wednesday stated.

The findings left New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann asking one question: “Is it going to boost the economy of New Lenox?” he said. “If it’s going to boost the economy in Chicago, that doesn’t do a whole lot for me.”

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December 2, 2008 / BY SUSAN DEMAR LAFFERTY / SouthtownStar

At the urging of village residents, Frankfort officials have decided to switch tracks and start talking with the Canadian National Railway to come up with ways to ease the impact of more freight trains rumbling through town.

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September 25, 2008 / BY Gina Kenny Correspondent / Neighborhood Star

Frankfort village officials are not putting all of their eggs in one basket. The village will spend money to prevent a hurried ruling on Canadian National’s acquisition of the Elgin Joliet & Eastern railroad while also submitting a list of mitigation requests in case the purchase is approved.

The Frankfort Village Board approved, at a specially called meeting Tuesday, a list of 14 mitigation requests if the federal Surface Transportation Board approves the acquisition of the EJ&E railroad.

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September 22, 2008 / By Joseph Hillenmeyer / Frankfort Station

With the Tuesday, Sept. 30, deadline quickly approaching, Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland and trustees received a final briefing by the Louis Berger Group and the Winston & Strawn law firm on what the village and its residents can do to win the final battle in the war with Canadian National (CN).

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September 17, 2008 / By BOB OKON / Joliet Herald News

What Will County sees as railroad misery would be a relief in Cook County.

That’s not really what was said by John Morton, environmental team leader for regulators overseeing the Canadian National Railway plan to buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.

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September 14, 2008 / BY SUSAN DEMAR LAFFERTY / NeighborhoodStar

If the people don’t want more trains coming through town, it’s up to them to do something about it. At a New Lenox rally to oppose Canadian National Railroad’s plan to purchase the Elgin Joliet & Eastern tracks and run freight trains all day long, residents were told they have one last chance to write letters, make phone calls and voice their opinions. The deadline to submit comments is Sept. 30.

Residents and officials are hoping that if the local motion is powerful enough it will throw CN off the EJ&E tracks.

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September 12, 2008 / BOB OKON / Joliet Herald News

AREA OFFICIALS AND RESIDENTS TELL FEDERAL BOARD: NO MORE TRAINS AND NOT ON OUR DIME

JOLIET — Opponents to the Canadian National Railway plan questioned why the company should be allowed to profit at the expense of local residents and taxpayers.

Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland even accused the Montreal-based railroad of seeking taxpayer subsidies for a venture that ultimately will take jobs away from workers in the United States because Canadian National is expanding port operations in Canada.

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September 10, 2008 / BY GUY TRIDGELL /  SouthtownStar

The clock is ticking on legislation that could kill the controversial plan to sell the EJ&E Railroad and divert more trains to the suburbs.

A Congressional hearing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., was the first step in creating a law that would require federal regulators to take a harder look at community impacts when ruling on railroad mergers and acquisitions.

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July 26, 2008 / By Dan Campana / Plainfield Sun

The expensive proposition of separating roads from rail crossings is the likely way to combat “a substantial increase” in freight train traffic from the Canadian National Railway’s purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern rail line, a federal report released Friday states. But it would appear to fall to government, not the railroad to bear most of that cost, according to the report by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

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March 20, 2008 / By Guy Tridgell / sun-times news group

FRANKFORT — If Frankfort wants to avoid a dramatic increase in train traffic through the heart of town, the community that boasts of its 1890s charm needs to prepare for a fight, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday.

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