Barrington schools opposed to rail sale
Add Barrington Area Unit District 220 to the list of government bodies opposing the sale of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co.
On Tuesday, school board members approved a formal resolution opposing the sale of the rail lines, which run right through the heart of the Barrington communities.
In its resolution, the board states, "based upon significant safety and traffic issues of this transaction, that the acquisition of the EJ&E by Canadian National not be approved."
Canadian National is proposing to spend $300 million on the EJ&E line, which runs from Wauconda to Gary through Lake, Cook DuPage and Will counties.
If the sale goes through, CN officials say they would use the EJ&E railroad lines as a bypass route for all current and future freight traffic from its Canadian and U.S. rail network.
Barrington officials say the sale will bring at least an additional 15 freight trains through the community every day.
School board President Brian Battle said the sale could have a huge impact on the district.
He said district school buses cross the EJ&E lines about 800 times a day. That includes picking up and dropping off kids in the morning, as well as transporting kids between schools during the day and to extra-curricular activities after school.
Battle added that almost any student who walks to Barrington High School must cross the EJ&E tracks.
"The length of a freight train could tie up three or four of our major arteries at one time," Battle said.
The board plans on passing its resolution on to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which needs to approve the sale before it can be completed.
The Transportation Board is currently gathering concerns from communities that would be affected by the sale as part of an environmental impact study.
District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard is one of many Barrington area leaders expected to attend a rally prior to a hearing on the issue before the Illinois General Thursday.
The rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. outside the James R. Thompson Center at Clark and Randolph in Chicago.
Following the rally, the railroad safety committee has asked Canadian National, Metropolis 2020 and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to testify at the hearing.
The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Room 16-503 at the Thompson Center.