Comment EI-3965
Received or sent (printed as 1/20/2008)
CN Railway in Barrington IL I am a resident of Barrington IL, and I work at GE Healthcare---the North American Center for IT---which is across town. If CN is allowed to run the number of trains they are talking about, I and hundreds of others will have a very difficult time getting to work. The traffic now is extremely slow moving, and it can take me 30 minutes to travel 2 miles. I live in the Arbors, which is comprised of a dozen buildings containing condos and townhouses that are very near the light rail that CN wishes to purchase. The 3 to 5 trains a day that run now are noisy and the vibrations are tremendous, but it is manageable because of their infrequency. Increased traffic on this line presents a very large health risk, as noise pollution has many adverse effects. Studies have shown that noise such as that from freight trains can raise blood pressure, lower immune system responses, and cause learning problems in children, to name just a few. The vibrations affect both our health, and the health of our complex of buildings. This area of town may not be habitable if this plan is allowed to continue. Emergency vehicles will be slowed, and critical response time will be jeopardized. This slowed access to hospitals and medical offices will result in many preventable deaths. Toxic pollution will also accompany this increased traffic, and put the entire community at risk. 800 school buses will be held up by this traffic, as well as parents who are delivering and picking up their children. This will be a nightmare scenario for all. It will affect the timetable of the Metra lines going into the city, as the EJ&E lines cross theirs. As you can see, this will impact the entire Chicago Community. CN’s derailment record is disturbing. In 2005, CN had an astonishing 103 main-track derailments in communities across Canada. That’s an average of one derailment every three-and-a-half days. These are only a few of the hundreds of concerns that we residents have, so I encourage you to find a better solution for CN,s insatiable needs. Do not allow them to put their monetary desires above the needs of the thousands of people that make up our beautiful communities. Mary Eichler 438-3 Lageschulte St Barrington IL 60010
Submitted by: Mary Eichler · 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-3965 · back to the docket sheet