EJ&E plan a tough sell for Hoffman Estates crowd
Hoffman Estates residents Monday were ready to blame Canada for the pending sale of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad.
Canadian National's purchase would bring extra trains to the village's west side, while clearing congestion in downtown Chicago. That's a hefty price to pay for residents living near the tracks, already accustomed to their homes shaking from passing trains, residents said Monday.
More than 200 people filed into Lincoln Elementary School, and 23 people vented their frustration at the sale.
"There's people here as well," Trustee Cary Collins said. "This is not just a forest preserve."
The goal of Monday's meeting was to continue to survey the community. Village officials hope to use those concerns to convince federal officials to derail the sale. Other communities, particularly Barrington, have vocally opposed the sale. There's a planned rally Thursday morning at the Thompson Center in Chicago.
CN would pay EJ&E $300 million for the railway, and put up another $100 million for infrastructure improvements. Rail spokesman Jim Kvedaras earlier in the day said the project would benefit the region. The reduction of trains in downtown Chicago has helped the plain garner the support of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
Residents are asked to submit comments online to the federal Surface Training Board at stb.dot.gov by Feb. 1. The line runs 198 miles from Illinois to Indiana.
One of those who spoke was Mark Puccio, who has grown accustomed to the rumble of passing trains which shakes his home. He also has safety concerns.
"I have to say as a resident that lives adjacent to the tracks that the quality of life for all those that live adjacent to the tracks is going to be horribly disrupted, not only by the noise, but by the vibration," he said.
Another resident, George Schultz, wondered about the practicality of giving a company based in a foreign country -- albeit it's Canada -- unfettered access to an American railway. He said it would compromise homeland security.
Kvedaras said the needs of many outweighed the needs of some. He acknowledged some residents would be angry.
"Depending on which reader, this could read as a good news or bad news story," Kvedaras said.
Even though he opposed the sale, Trustee Raymond Kincaid said the sale could make the railway more efficient. He noted a freight train traveling from Vancouver to Memphis would reach its destination 48 hours quicker if the sale went through.
Kvedaras said about 5.3 trains pass on tracks in the area daily. After the sale, that number would jump by 15, meaning about 20.3 trains would pass each day. The maximum speed trains can travel on those tracks is about 45 m.p.h., Kvedaras said, who added the trains would be longer than the current trains' length of 6,500 to 7,000 feet.
Village officials also shared concerned about the future of the STAR Line, the long-proposed Metra project which would service the village.
Kvedaras said CN would work with Metra to make the STAR happen if needed.