THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2008

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Local Lawmakers Push For Reduced RR Traffic

Reduced traffic and railroad congestion are two reasons State Representatives Rosemary Mulligan (R-65th) of Des Plaines and Carolyn Krause (R-56th) of Mt. Prospect this week announced their support for the Canadian National merger with the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway.

"This merger dramatically reduces freight train traffic through our local communities which means motorists will spend a lot less time and money idling at railroad crossings," said Mulligan. "This reduction may open the door for more frequent commuter trains to our area which not only has environmental benefits but with gas prices topping $4 a gallon would save money for local families."

"Many communities will notice fewer freight trains passing through on the CN line, such as Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Prospect Hts., Arlington Heights, and Buffalo Grove. In these areas, the number of freight trains will drop from 19 daily trains on average to two trains per day," said Krause. "By shifting some of the rail traffic to underutilized tracks further away from Chicago and the Cook County suburbs it will enhance the efficiency of the system and reduce transportation cost for companies which can then pass along the savings to consumers."

Mulligan and Krause are strong supporters of the STAR Line. The STAR Line would become the first commuter rail line in northeastern Illinois designed to address suburb-to-suburb commutes.

Mulligan and Krause are aware that Canadian National has given public assurance to Metra that they will cooperate with them to design an operation acceptable to both operators, whether that be in the shape of a dedicated line for Metra or a shared track arrangement. Canadian National has already gone on public record to commit to do so. Representative Mulligan and Representative Krause are hopeful that Metra will join those future talks in good faith to develop an acceptable service offering that meets the needs of local consumers. In addition, Mulligan and Krause believe a thorough environmental study and examination of the overall benefit to the entire region by the Surface Transportation Board will ultimately result in a decision to approve the merger.