Durbin: Meeting with Canadian National head 'unproductive'
Two Illinois legislators said they left unhappy after meeting Wednesday with the head of Canadian National Railway.
"I want to thank (E. Hunter) Harrison for meeting with us," U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said, "but we didn't get very far."
Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, and U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, a Barrington Democrat, assailed Canadian National's plan to spend $300 million to buy the 198-mile EJ&E rail system that runs through the suburbs from Gary, Ind., to Waukegan.
The two legislators said they wanted some long-term commitments on rail traffic figures along the line, but didn't get them.
"Mr. Harrison was very courteous in meetings, but offered us nothing," Durbin said.
Durbin and Bean said Canadian National's plan would negatively affect the quality of life of suburban residents because of the expected four-fold increase in freight traffic it would bring to the EJ&E line. It likely also would sound the death knell for the proposed suburb-to-suburb STAR commuter line that was expected to run on the EJ&E tracks.
"Mr. Harrison presented why this is good for their business model," Bean said, "but he continues to show indifference to the burden on the suburban communities."
The legislators said Harrison identified only two of the 140 at-grade crossings along the EJ&E line that would need improvements to unsnarl the anticipated increase of motor vehicle congestion.
Durbin and Bean believe there are dozens of crossings that need to become underpasses or overpasses to alleviate congestion that will occur as a result of the increased freight traffic. It's estimated the cost of making such improvements would be around $50 million for each crossing.
"Talking about the impact of the increased number of freight trains I was hoping he might come back and say 'we have a plan,'" Durbin said. "We didn't hear that."
Canadian National spokesman Jim Kvedaras said the purchase of EJ&E is the best way to relieve freight train congestion in Chicago, which is viewed by many rail officials as one of the worst bottlenecks in the country.
"Our purchase of that line also has the potential of giving other rail lines more breathing room," Kvedaras said.
Ultimately, the federal Surface Transportation Board will decide the fate of the purchase. It currently is compiling data for an environmental impact study.
Durbin said the report could add several months to the decision-making process.
Government officials said no similar environmental review has taken less than a year and a half.
On Tuesday, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District board denied Canadian National's request to buy an acre in the Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve to add a junction between its existing east/west line and the north/south EJ&E tracks.
Canadian National officials said that action had little impact on the company's pursuit of the track system, and Durbin said Harrison reiterated that sentiment at their meeting.
"He basically said, 'We're just going to find a way to go around it,'" Durbin said.