New Lenox Rail Sense

December 25, 2008 / BY GUY TRIDGELL / SouthtownStar

Company must also help fund road bypasses, cameras at crossings

The Canadian National Railway Co. got its wish to buy the EJ&E Railroad, but it’s going to have to pay. In a unanimous decision Wednesday, the federal Surface Transportation Board approved the company’s $300 million purchase of the EJ&E, a 198-mile line that arcs the Chicago area.

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December 25, 2008 / By BOB OKON / Joliet Herald News

Federal regulators Wednesday approved Canadian National Railway’s plan to the dismay — but not surprise — of many local officials. Canadian National can now move forward with the $300 million acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway line.

But while local officials are disappointed that CN was not required to pay more to ease the impact on road congestion, the railroad company said it will review the decision in light of additional costs imposed by regulators.

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October 8, 2008 / Joliet Herald News

The Canadian National Railway has increased the amount it says it will give communities to help mitigate the impact of its purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway with its accompanying threefold impact on the number of trains that use its tracks.

The railroad’s payment would increase from $40 million to $60 million.

Before the cheering starts, it would be wise to remember that neither of those figures comes anywhere near the cost of what would need to be done at grade crossings — ideally make them either bridges or underpasses — to lessen the impact of the two-mile-long trains CN proposes.

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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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August 11, 2008 / BY ANDRE SALLES / Aurora Beacon News

Bob Dylan was right — it does take a train to cry. Or rather, dozens of trains, barreling through your formerly quiet suburban neighborhood.

The controversy surrounding Canadian National Railway’s plan to buy the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern rail line has been interesting to watch so far. A couple of weeks ago, Aurora, Naperville and Plainfield got together to hold a public meeting about the proposed sale, which would quadruple the number of freight trains running through some suburban areas.

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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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July 24, 2008 / By ANDRE SALLES / Joliet Herald News

David Brauer has train tracks running next to his back yard.

On Wednesday night, Brauer joined roughly 1,500 people who live along the EJ&E line at Waubonsie Valley High School’s Gold Campus in Aurora.

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 July 23, 2008 / by Theresa Gutierrez / ABC7-WLS Chicago [with video]

A railway plan could spark heated debate at a community meeting Wednesday night [July 23] in Aurora.

The Canadian railway wants to acquire some suburban rail lines so it can run freight trains through the suburbs and avoid rail congestion In Chicago.
Officials from Aurora and Plainfield say the purpose of the meeting is to alert citizens about the proposed Canadian National Railroad acquisition. They have put down more than $300 million to acquire parts of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad train lines. They are looking to buy 198 miles of track that runs in a southwestern loop around Chicago from Waukegan to Gary, Indiana. Many believe it would quadruple the number of trains crossing in Illinois.

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June 17, 2008 / By JANET LUNDQUIST / Joliet Herald News

BIGGERT TOURS AREA RAILROAD CROSSINGS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY EJ&E SALE.

PLAINFIELD — Plainfield officials have enlisted the support of a federal ally in their quest to avoid traffic gridlock if Canadian National is approved to buy the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway.

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June 17, 2008 / By Erika Slife / Chicago Tribune reporter 

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert told CN’s plan to buy EJ & E would tie up traffic, increase wait times

As the afternoon stretched close to rush hour on Monday, cars began stacking up on Illinois Highway 126, the main road into Plainfield from Interstate Highway 55.

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