Lake Zurich opposes EJ&E sale

Lake Zurich is the latest village to jump onto the opposition bandwagon to Canadian National Railway's proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co.

The EJ&E rail line runs through numerous suburban communities from Wauconda to Gary, Ind.

If the $300 million sale were approved, Canadian National would use the acquired EJ&E lines as a bypass route circumventing Chicago for all current and future freight traffic from its Canadian and U.S. rail network.

Canadian National plans to move freight trains from its more congested lines to the EJ&E line. It would mean that 34 towns would see more freight trains and 80 would see fewer.

The plan already has met with strong opposition in several communities from Bartlett to Barrington.

"I think it is the single largest issue facing the community right now," Lake Zurich Village Administrator Bob Vitas told the village board Monday night. "Downtown is difficult as it is. This will just complicate things further. It would create a dramatic impact and have a dramatic affect on day-to-day life in the village based on the volume of train traffic that would be present after the acquisition."

The daily average of five trains coming through town on the EJ&E line would likely go up to 20, Vitas said.

Lake Zurich officials have drafted a letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, the agency responsible for approving any railway sale, voicing staunch opposition of the EJ&E acquisition.

Village officials fear the public safety and environmental impact to the community above all. They also don't want to be burdened with the financial cost of making infrastructure improvements along the rail line.

"Whatever savings Canadian National is going to get from this should be given partially to those who are going to be burdened by this," Lake Zurich Mayor John Tolomei said. "There are winners and losers. Some towns will see their freight traffic get unloaded at least temporarily. There's no guarantee additional freight traffic won't come on line if you've got the capacity."

There are six EJ&E crossings in town where traffic would be disrupted by increased trains. There is also the possibility of increased train accidents and deaths, officials said.

Vitas said the sale would throw a wrench into existing plans for transportation infrastructure improvements for the region, which didn't factor in the increased train traffic and EJ&E lines.

"All their comprehensive plans now have to be revisited," Vitas said. "Long-range and short-range financial planning have to be revisited. This would cause a major shift and a major rethinking of the allocation and delivery of all public safety services."

Village officials are encouraging residents to send in their comments either to the village or directly to the Surface Transportation Board. The village's Web site, www.volz.org, has direct links to federal Web sites where comments can be entered electronically. Feb. 1 is the deadline for public comments on the scope of the environmental impact study.

Lake Zurich may host several community forums on the topic in coming months.

"This process will likely take several months," Vitas said.