Comment EI-13086
Received or sent (printed as 9/24/2008)
Regarding: STB Finance Docket No. 35087 We are residents of Frankfort, and we are formally opposing the proposed Canadian National Railway acquisition of the EJ&E Railroad. If the CN purchase of the EJ & E is allowed to proceed, the impact to the town of Frankfort will have a significant negative impact. We purchased our home 6 years ago knowing there were tracks roughly a block away from our home. We also knew there were only 6 trains running per day which seemed to be a very tolerable number. I must admit however, even these few trains cause a significant problem due to the noise and vibration. In fact due to the current noise level, we frequently wake up on those cool summer nights when the windows are open. My grandchildren have difficulty taking naps when they visit and the peace and quiet of the daytime hours get significantly affected as well. A proposed increase of 28 trains per day will create an intolerable situation for our community. While the noise is certainly the most concerning problem, we are also concerned about the increased risk of a toxic spill due to the 600% spike in harmful chemicals hauled through town. Every time we hear of a toxic spill somewhere else, we feel blessed that we have never had to be evacuated for that kind of reason from our home. Accidents always are possible, which means this kind of an increase in traffic will certainly raise our risk of an occurrence affecting us. Finally there are many other issues which will significantly affect us as well, such as the impact to emergency vehicle response times, traffic congestion at crossings, danger to vehicle and foot traffic and a significant decrease in property values. Please agree that moving Chicago’s rail congestion to the suburbs is not an effective solution.
Submitted by: Robert and Sharon Stigter · Frankfort, 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-13086 · back to the docket sheet