Comment EI-6026
Received or sent (printed as 1/24/2008)
This refers to docket number 35087, the purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern railroad by the Canadian National railroad. I am very concerned about the relentless noise from train horns that will come with the Canadian National/Elgin railroad deal. Already, just with the E,J,&E trains, it is impossible to watch television in the evening or for my grandaughters (or my self and my wife) to sleep through the night when we open the windows. My granddaughters usually wake up crying because the trains frighten them. Are we supposed to keep our house shut tight with the air conditioner running all summer? The addition of the CN traffic will make it impossible to live here and will drive down the value of our homes, not to mention the relentless noise pollution. When we bought our homes here many years ago, the E,J,&E line had maybe five trains a DAY. Now they will bring at LEAST 42.6 trains a day. This noise will ruin our lives out here! We also have a retirement community right across the road from us. Do we tell all those people that financial gain and convienence for the Canadian National railway is far more important than the voters and taxpayers in THEIR community? And considering all of the ambulance traffic through the crossings at Division Street and Gaylord Street, how long will we wait now for an ambulance? Or a fire truck? or the police? This is of concern for the entire community. If this deal goes through, and I'm sure it will regardless of what we mere citizens want, can we at LEAST STOP THOSE HORNS??!! Plainfield, Illinois did it on the SAME line, not five miles from here. Our crossings at Division and Gaylord streets are FAR safer than theirs. The constant delays are bad enough, but the noise pollution is outrageous already. If it requires a class action lawsuit filed with the EPA, so be it. Since Plainfield stopped the horns, there MUST be a mechanism for stopping the racket for us as well. I'd sure like to know what that mechanism is. Thank you.
Submitted by: James L. Harris · Lockport, Illinois
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-6026 · back to the docket sheet