Comment EI-11411
Received or sent (printed as 9/11/2008)
I am a current resident of the south loop in Chicago and have lived here for approxiamtely 5 years. I am writing to ask for your support of Docket #35087. Today the Chicago metro area is one of the largest hubs in the United States for rail transportation. This brings many jobs and economic benefits to the area. Unfortunately, as the rail system exist today, it can take over 24 hours for a train to navigate through the city's many streets, stops and crossings. This inefficiency has is costing the rail companies a significant ammount of money every year and has caused them to rethink the routing of rail lines through Chicago. If these lines are in fact moved to another city, such as St. Louis, it will have a significant negative impact on the greater Chicago area's economy and could cost many people their jobs. This proposal will help resolve this issue by providing a much more efficient route for trains to make their way through the Chicago region by taking a less congensted route through the suburban areas. This will allow the rail lines to remain efficient and profitable while also keeping the rail jobs in the Chicago area. I understand there is and will be intense opposition by the residents of these suburban communities. However, the lives of residents that currently live near the existing rail lines should be shown the same ammount of consideration as suburban residents. The fact is that this proposal will benefit the greater Chicago area by keeping commerce and jobs here and, although it may have a small impact on some residents, urban communities deserve the same consideration as suburban. The urban community has carried the overwhelming burden of rail transportation congestion for centuries and this burden should be spread more equally throughout the greater Chicago region, especially if it will benefit the overll economy of the region.
Submitted by: Greg Bretz · Chicago, IL
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-11411 · back to the docket sheet