Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0581
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Full Text of SR0581  95th General Assembly

SR0581 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


 


 
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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Canadian National Railroad is seeking
3 authorization from the United States Surface Transportation
4 Board to purchase the principal rail lines of the Elgin, Joliet &
5 Eastern Railway Company; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company
7 operates in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana
8 over 198 miles of track consisting primarily of an arc around
9 Chicago extending from Waukegan, Illinois southward to Joliet,
10 then in an easterly direction to Gary, Indiana; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The proposed acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet &
12 Eastern Railway Company by the Canadian National Railroad does
13 not promote the public interest because it will endanger public
14 safety and increase both rail traffic and motor vehicle traffic
15 congestion; and
 
16     WHEREAS, If this acquisition is approved, there will be a
17 considerable increase in the number of trains that will be
18 traveling on the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company line
19 due to the shifting of a significant amount of train traffic
20 that currently moves over CN rail lines in the City of Chicago
21 to sections of the EJ & E rail lines west and south of the City
22 of Chicago, including a segment that runs through the counties

 

 

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1 of Will, DuPage, Grundy, Kane and Cook and the likelihood that
2 the Canadian National Railroad will grant trackage rights to
3 other railroads resulting in additional train traffic; and
 
4     WHEREAS, These counties are experiencing exceptional
5 population growth, including Will County that is one of the
6 fastest-growing counties in terms of population growth in the
7 nation; and
 
8     WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Commerce Commission,
9 there are 133 public highway-rail, grade crossings on the
10 Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company line with only 104
11 being equipped with automatic flashing light signals and gates
12 for safety; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The EJ & E currently has 7 public pedestrian-rail
14 grade crossings that are not equipped with automatic safety
15 devices; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company line
17 crosses many of the region's major roadways and countless
18 thousands of vehicles, including school buses, traverse these
19 roadways on a daily basis; and
 
20     WHEREAS, On top of these existing concerns, some
21 communities will experience freight train traffic every 35

 

 

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1 minutes, which will cause significant increases in congestion
2 and safety concerns; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Due to the amount of motor vehicle traffic in the
4 suburban area that would be served by this railroad expansion,
5 railroad crossings would become more hazardous; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Chicago metropolitan region is usually rated
7 among the worst locations in the nation when it comes to motor
8 vehicle traffic congestion; and
 
9     WHEREAS, These communities have engaged in future public
10 transportation upgrades that would address traffic congestion
11 and environmental concerns; specifically the STAR Line, a
12 commuter rail corridor providing rail passenger service around
13 the outer circumference of the greater Chicago metropolitan
14 region, will need to utilize a portion of the EJ & E
15 right-of-way; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The proposed acquisition could threaten
17 implementation of the STAR Line; therefore, be it
 
18     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
19 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United
20 States Surface Transportation Board to not approve the sale of
21 the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company to the Canadian

 

 

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1 National Railroad; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 forwarded to the members of the Illinois Congressional
4 Delegation.