New Lenox Rail Sense

December 25, 2008 / By Richard Wronski / Chicago Tribune

Trains may triple in many suburbs

Federal regulators have given a green light to Canadian National Railway’s plan to divert freight traffic through Chicago’s suburbs, a possible boon for the economy but potentially bad news for many suburban motorists likely to encounter delays at blocked crossings. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board unanimously approved on Wednesday CN’s $300 million purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. But in response to critics, the board imposed an unprecedented condition: CN must pay tens of millions of dollars to build two overpasses in Aurora and Lynwood.

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December 17, 2008 / By Richard Wronski / Chicago Tribune reporter

CN to spend millions on addressing problems with safety, noise and traffic

Some communities that had opposed Canadian National Railway’s plan to run more freight trains through their towns have decided to stop fighting and negotiate their own deals to ease noise, safety and traffic concerns. As of Tuesday, eight communities-from Mundelein to Frankfort and Schererville, Ind.-have approved individual agreements with the railway that are worth millions of dollars.

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December 7, 2008 / By SUSAN DeMAR LAFFERTY / Sun-Times News Group

NEW LENOX — It seems to village leaders that the Canadian National Railroad is dividing and conquering its opposition.

First Joliet signed a deal, now Frankfort is in the talking stages.

CN wants to buy the EJ&E tracks to create a bypass around Chicago and quadruple the number of freight trains. The plan has been strongly opposed by a coalition of communities known as TRAC — The Regional Answer to Canadian National, of which New Lenox and Frankfort are members.

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CHICAGO, Nov 24, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Coalition demands that the record be set straight prior to final ruling

On November 18, the environmental staff (SEA) of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and its consulting firm, HDR, presented its environmental analysis of CN’s acquisition of the EJ&E to the three board members of the STB. While this briefing was open for public observation, the public could not participate in the proceedings or ask any questions.

As an observer, TRAC concluded that this event demonstrated that the environmental staff either does not recognize that its environmental analysis is materially flawed or knows it is flawed but has decided to muddle through in the hope that it can paper over the flaws in the final EIS.

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June 30, 2008 / By Lenore T. Adkins / Daily Herald Staff

CN has agreed to a study that will measure the environmental impact its purchase could have on surrounding communities, Barrington Mayor Karen Darch announced Sunday during the first of many local rallies against the acquisition.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=213695

April 22, 2008 / By Chad Brooks / Daily Herald Staff

They’ve voiced their opposition to Canadian National’s proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., but Tuesday suburban leaders tried to take the message directly to shareholders.

The leaders from Barrington Communities Against CN Rail Congestion and The Regional Answer to Canadian National, however, were escorted out of a Chicago hotel before they could get an audience at the CN shareholders meeting there Tuesday.

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April 22, 2008 / By Richard Wronski / Chicago Tribune reporter

Suburbs join forces and ask Congress to help stop bid to re-route train traffic

Suburban leaders fighting the Canadian National Railway’s plan to boost freight train traffic through their communities bolstered their ranks Tuesday and called on Congress to force the railroad to pay to lessen the trains’ impact or else help stop the deal. Several more suburbs, including Aurora, Naperville and Plainfield, joined a coalition of Barrington-area communities to fight Canadian National’s plans to divert freight trains through the outlying suburbs.

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April 21, 2008 / By Susan DeMar Lafferty / Chicago Sun-Times news

As the municipal Davids continue to tackle the Goliath Canadian National Railroad, they are rallying troops and gathering ammunition.

Frankfort, Mokena and New Lenox, initially got together with other Will County communities to discuss the environmental impacts that increased freight trains would cause if the CN is allowed to acquire the EJ&E tracks in this area. They have now been invited to join with towns throughout DuPage, Lake County and Lake County, Indiana, to form a coalition dubbed TRAC–The Regional Answer to Canadian National.

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