WLIP News-
Two sides of a Lake County debate over the fate of the historic Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway became evident as the public weighed in on the proposed shift of freight traffic from the Canadian National Railway to the EJ&E rail lines that cut through Lake County. "Mundelein will see the greatest diversion of trains (onto the EJ&E), and Mundelein will be impacted more than any other community," said Mundelein Village Administrator John Lobaito to representatives of the federal Surface Transportation Board, which conducted a public meeting that drew more than 300 shouting, angry people to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The EJ&E has 198 miles of track that run in a half-circle around the Chicago area from Waukegan to Gary, Indiana, and the CN's proposed $300 million acquisition would shift some 15 to 20 freight trains per day to the EJ&E lines. The Transportation Board, expected to issue a ruling on the matter early next year, issued a draft environmental report in July that stated 15 grade-level crossings would be "substantially affected" by the action, including crossings in Barrington, Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich and Mundelein.
On the other hand, state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, told the panel that some communities "would very much welcome the relief (the proposal) would offer. There are 32 at-grade crossings in Des Plaines, with only two grade separations," Nekritz said, adding that communities along the Canadian National "want to go to the front of the line, while those who have been dealing with these issues for decades have to wait for relief."
Still, while Nekritz had other speakers in her corner, the majority of those testifying Tuesday were from communities along the EJ&E and voiced opposition that at times grew heated. "This transaction is basically run by two interests -- a greedy Canadian railroad company (and companies) that want to bring crappy Chinese goods to the U.S. through Canada," said Keith Petropoulos of Lake Zurich. "The butchers of China are going to bring their goods on a Canadian railroad through my beautiful town ... Think about what you're bringing to our country."
U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Barrington, who flew in from the Democratic National Convention for the hearing, accused the CN of ignoring "the severe impact this would have on our communities," mentioning such scenarios as "thousands of our children standing in the freezing cold" waiting for school buses delayed by freight trains.
Speaking for the Canadian National, Eric Jakubowski told the crowd that while meetings have been held with local leaders, "it is not our intention to impose solutions."
