Comment EI-4484
Received or sent (printed as 1/26/2008)
01-20-2008 ATTN: Phillis Johnson-Ball Environmental Filing STB Finance Docket No. 35087 STB, Concerning CN Railway in Barrington IL I am a resident of Barrington IL, and I am disturbed by the acquisition of the EJ&E railway lines by CN. We in the Barrington Community do not have the infrastructure to support any more rail traffic. It is already difficult and time consuming to drive through town, as we have Union Pacific, Metra, and EJ&E lines crossing in the heart of the city. There are no overpasses or underpasses to accommodate this traffic. CN says that their 100 car trains will only delay traffic by 6 minutes, but when you are the car that is stuck in traffic 3 miles back, it will take you a much longer time. Their increase of trains by 400% will bring this town to a screeching halt. 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 building complex. 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. Slowed access to hospitals and other medical treatment facilities can result in deaths that could have been prevented. Fire trucks will find it increasingly difficult to navigate through town, and homes and businesses can be unnecessarily lost to flames. 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 not just our local community, but the greater Chicago community as well. 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. As these trains carry toxic chemicals, this is a disaster just waiting to happen. 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. Gail Baldwin 436-3 Lageschulte St. Barrington, IL 60010
Submitted by: Gail Baldwin · 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-4484 · back to the docket sheet