Comment EI-11823
Received or sent (printed as 9/16/2008)
STB Finance Docket No. 35087 CN purchsae of EJE rail line Phillis Johnson-Ball Surface Transportation Board 395 E Street, SW Washington DCV, 20423 STB Board Members, As a concerned citizen living in a community along the EJE line. I respectfully request you strongly consider requiring the purchase of the EJE by CN to include the funding of mitigation of rail/road and rail/rail crossings, support the METRA STAR line, and also ask that you seriously consider the unique opportunity for a win-win with the railroad and communities along the EJE line. I will explain my thoughts and ideas for you below. Foreign interests are pursuing this private transaction as a way to circumvent the cost of constructing a new a railway with modern safety requirements as part of the cost of construction. This transaction will result in an undue burden on US taxpayers both local and federal to mitigate rail safety improvements that are needed now and in the future. The transaction will also handicap local communities with business access cut off by trains and invasive road viaducts that block business ingress/egress. No US funded highway construction process would convert a country road into an international superhighway with higher traffic speeds and volume without required safety improvements. I see no difference in this situation at all. There is however a unique opportunity for a win-win. The single most significant objection is that this transaction has zero benefit to community. And let us all face the facts. There are only detriments, and significant amounts of them, from a community and US citizen perspective. Even regionally there will not be the “reduction” in trains or rail accidents suggested and so hoped for by other communities. As reported in the Chicago Tribune, a business along the existing CN lines welcomes the reduction in trains so that additional capacity will be available to move his plastic products. Isn’t that statement simply an oxy-moron? In other words, the current trains levels will be reduced which will allow for the flexibility of adding more trains to move plastic products. This fact puts into question all of the metrics used in measuring future train traffic. There is no guarantee that existing traffic will be reduced to the levels suggested. The rail lines are not being decommissioned, in fact, they shouldn’t be. It’s a regional problem and we must find a regional answer. The CN purchase of EJE can be part of the solution. However, the terms as they are currently proposed are simply abusive, opportunistic and criminal. Increasing rail traffic is reasonable and is within the real world possibility of those communities along the EJE tracks. However, by far it is the volume of rail traffic that is the objection and the safety issues that accompany the transaction itself that is the problem and not the transaction itself. I would suspect you would find a significant pendulum swing in support of the transaction, even from those people in Barrington (like myself), if only the CN actually improved the village in some way and did not burden it without benefit. The meaningful way to build local support is as follows. 1) Explain that increased rail traffic will occur eventually with or without this CN transaction. 2) Require the CN to fund the grade separations. 3) Allow CN to ramp up the length, speed, and frequency on their trains along unencumbered rail lines that have the required safety improvements. The rail/road and rail/rail grade separations are the win for CN, village of Barrington and every other needed community. The 15 mentioned rail/grade separations are not sufficient to claim victory for all parties. However, not 100% of all the rail/grade separations are required either. Some middle ground can be found if one attempts to look. Allowing for the blockage of a four lane state highways (RT14) and regional arteries (Lake-Cook Road) is just simply ill advised and reckless. The win-win points here are as follows; · CN willingly offers up rail grade separations today as a partner. More than the minimum 15 proposed but less than 100% of all crossings. · CN gets to claim victory that it is a responsible corporation that truly works with their community partners. · CN gets the international rail super highway it desires. · The communities get rail safety/congestion improvement that would otherwise not be funded. · The funding of these improvements can be derived from increased profits resulting from the line and can be amortized over many many years or special shipper “use fees” for this route. There will still be some objectors. However, I believe this is the best available compromise where some benefit is provided to the local communities. Regarding Barrington. I believe this situation is unique in that in less than 6000 feet of rail track there are three significant road/rail crossing and one significant rail/rail crossing with the Union Pacific. I feel the cost to run the CN train below grade would provide enormous benefit to the community, to CN, and to the UP. This is a rather short length of track to consider for mitigation. Please consider the unique grade topology of these tracks as they are routed through this relatively short length of track. The rail lines of both the UP and EJE have been raised significantly from existing grade conditions many years ago. I would venture to guess there is at least a twenty-foot raise in grade elevation to support these tracks at their junction. Visiting the community and walking through the existing bike path that runs at grade level under the UP line can further illustrate this. No depressed tunnel was created to support these pedestrians. My point here is that the cost of lowering the EJE rail at this point in the line would not be as significant as one would suspect by looking at a two dimensional map or photo from Google Earth. I have two last topics of consideration for you if you please. 1) Please consider the METRA STAR line seriously and find a way to keep this initiative viable and a priority over freight traffic. The proposed STAR line traverses many communities in a unique way that would result in overall lower number of vehicles on the road during rush hour periods. This line traverses the Sears Corporation property and could provide for rapid transit benefits to the area. An over abundance of freight trains would limit or eliminate the viability of this line and result in additional vehicles and pollution to occur. 2) Throttling and controlling safe growth while encoring private investments in infrastructure. In other words, approve the transaction; give priority to commuter rail on the STAR line and various other commuters rail crossings of the EJE. Also limit freight traffic increases on the EJE until the safety projects are funded and completed. This really would provide a win-win for the region and allow CN to invest securely and responsibly in their future. Please take these concepts into consideration when making your decision and recommendation. There really would not be any other opportunity to address this real and significant problem once the transaction closes without these defined regional benefit conditions. I feel strongly my points addressed here are a real answer to a regional problem and not simply favoring one regional community over the other. I would encourage you to de-emphasis that issue, as it is quite decisive and inflammatory. These issues can be mitigated, it will take money, the money should come from the benefactor, and growth should be allowed in a controlled and responsible manner. Thank you for your considering of these ideas. Respectfully, Peter Schaffer 228 Monument Ave Barrington, IL 60010
Submitted by: Peter Schaffer · Barrington, 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.
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