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 2, 2008 / Richard Wronski / Chicago Tribune

The Chicago area’s economy would grow by more than $60 million a year, freight traffic gridlock would ease, and hundreds of jobs would be created if the Canadian National Railway is allowed to divert freight traffic onto a suburban rail line, a new study said. The CN plan also would relieve highway congestion in northeastern Illinois and boost the nation’s gross domestic product by $267 million, according to the study to be released Wednesday by Chicago Metropolis 2020.

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September 9, 2008 / By Kevin Craver / Northwest Herald

Canadian National may be headed to court after the Surface Transportation Board ruled that it cannot buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway prior to a final environmental report.

The three-member STB, which approves all U.S. railway sales, denied CN’s request that the board approve the purchase by mid-October, and rule on the environmental aspects later when the final report is issued.

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August 21, 2008 / BY DAN CAMPANA / Fox Valley Villages Sun

AURORA — The Surface Transportation Board has been “unwilling” to change the site of a public meeting on Canadian National Railway’s plan to buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway, according to Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner.

On Friday, officials from Aurora and Naperville went public with their disappointment over the federal agency’s decision to use West Aurora High School — several miles from the rail line sale’s hot zone — to host public comment on Sept. 9.

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August 21, 2008 / By Dan Campana / Aurora Beaconn News

The first formal support has come forth for Canadian National Railway’s plan to shift its freight traffic to the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern rail line. But Fox Valley critics remain unfazed.

Leaders of several municipalities to the east, which are in line to see fewer trains if CN gets approval of the sale, have created their own coalition and are expected to receive the backing of U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski during an event this morning.

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July 30, 2008 By ANDRE SALLES / Aurora Beacon News

If Canadian National Railway Company ends up buying the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern rail line, some expensive work at some of the busier crossings will likely be required.

But those upgrades may cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take years to complete, according to local communities along the line.  And no one is quite sure who will pay for the work.

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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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May 13, 2008 / WTTW “Chicago Tonight” / Reported by Rich Samuels

Why are municipalities in five counties (as well as members of the Illinois congressional delegation) at odds over the proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad by the Canadian National?

(TV coverage includes interviews with CN representatives, local spokespeople, Sen. Richard Durbin and transportation experts.)

View the 12-minute video by clicking here 

Or paste this link into your browser:
http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,4&vid=http://wttw.vo.llnwd.net/o16/wttw/c2n/051308b.flv

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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