Comment EI-24803
Received or sent (printed as 7/13/2016)
part 3 of 3 The plan to revamp and expand the existing KJR and TPW lines, rather than build a new rail line from scratch has many advantages: 1. Significantly less environmental destruction. 2. Significant cost savings due to existing infrastructure and easements being in place. 3. Filed drainage, utility and pipelines have already be re-routed. 4. The climate is better. 5. Little to no loss of Prime Farmland. 6. A rail yard can be built on non-Prime Farmland. 7. Existing rivers and waterways, including the Illinois River, have crossings already in place. 8. The STB can conduct a more accurate environmental review as these areas already have trains running through them. Drainage and other issues have already been addressed and problems area already know. For a new line this would all e conjecture. . 9. The population in this area is less populated then the GLB proposal. 10. First responders and residents already have plans in place to cross these lines. 11. There will be no need for road closures. 12. There will be no need for thousands of private rail crossings to be built for farms along the route. Crossings that are hazardous. 13. These lines are already serviced by 5 of the 6 class one railroads operating in Illinois, these railroads do not need to alter anything to use these lines. Connections are already in place. 14. Easements and right-of-ways have already been established. 15. Rail crossing of roads are already in place. 16. Fewer major roadways are affected. 17. GLB only needs to upgrade these lines to handle a larger freight volume. 18. Being more centrally located in Illinois this line may attract new customers. 19. There is room for expansion as the area is much more rural, with significantly few towns being affected. 20. This is a true by-pass preventing trains from needing to travel into Chicagoland. The current GLB line is not a bypass all it does is move existing trains to a new location in the same area. A bypass takes trains away from an area. Please deny the current GLB proposal, as there are hundreds of existing tracks that they could purchase and upgrade to accomplish their only stated goal of providing a bypass for Chicago freight traffic. A map of Illinois railroads can be found at http://www.idot.illinois.gov/assets/uploads/files/transportation-system/maps-&-c harts/railroad-maps/il%20railroad%20map%202012.pdf Sincerely, Dennis Scheppler 212 North Owen Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Submitted by: Dennis Scheppler · Mount Prospect, 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-35952/comment/EI-24803 · back to the docket sheet