Comment EI-12014
Received or sent (printed as 9/19/2008)
STB, CN is not materially cooperating with METRA on the creation of the proposed METRA STAR line on the EJE tracks. CN has stated that METRA could run new tracks along the EJE tracks and that Freight would have a priority. Creating new tracks would be cost prohibitive and would kill the creation of the METRA STAR line. Putting Freight as a priority over commuter service would doom the line, as train schedules would not be reliable enough to support serious usage by commuters. The Chicago region, population, and traffic congestion is growing to a point of traffic gridlock. The METRA STAR suburb-to-suburb line is needed to enable intra-rail movement of people and travel to jobs like Sears Corporation and Prairie Stone Center right on the EJE line. Have you considered the volume of cars and emission pollutants that will result from NOT having a METRA STAR line? The PEOPLE of the region will benefit greatly from the creation of the STAR line. There will be measurable and significantly less motor vehicle suburb-to-suburb traffic and emission pollutants with a STAR line vs. not having one. This one measure alone I suspect would be enough from an environmental perspective to deny the creation of CN rail freight superhighway as it is currently proposed. The STAR line is not optional and should not be discussed lightly or satisfied with empty promises from CN. I have not seen anywhere in writing where CN is accountable and locked into the empty promises being proposed. And even if there were, who in the world would actually be responsible for measuring and enforcing the promises? This is a bad deal for all but one party. Regards, Peter Schaffer
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.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35087/comment/EI-12014 · back to the docket sheet