5,100 turn out for Barrington rail hearing

The scoreboard remained dark at Barrington High School's gymnasium, but cheers condemning Canadian National's proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad Co. rocked the rafters Wednesday night.

The public meeting in Barrington was the third of eight planned by the federal Surface Transportation Board before the Sept. 30 deadline for public comments on the $300 million merger. Another public meeting is scheduled today at Bartlett High School.

Many in the gym wore red - the color of a stop sign and the official hue of those opposing the deal. Barrington residents say they have safety concerns about the additional freight trains that would come through the village. Barrington has led the charge against the deal, and police said they recorded more than 5,100 people entering the gym.

Republican Rep. Don Manzullo of Egan quickly got the crowd going and received a standing ovation after he attacked the STB's environmental impact report on the effects of the merger. He wondered if it was biased.

"Did you prepare this report or did CN prepare this report?" he asked repeatedly.

Earlier, about 1,000 residents took part in a three-mile protest march from the Fox Point neighborhood along Lake-Cook Road, also known as Main Street in Barrington, to the high school. Fox Point resident Linda Reinhard had her sons help make signs and rally residents from the 411 homes in the subdivision. She said the merger would bring train traffic which would "decimate" Barrington.

"The rules are so in favor of the railroads in this instance," she said.

The STB is a three-member board appointed by the President that must approve all railroad mergers.

CN Senior Vice President for the Southern Region, Gordon Trafton, was the only of more than 80 speakers who supported the plan. CN's take is that the deal would alleviate freight train congestion in other communities and speed up the transport of goods.

Trafton said CN understands the need for a thorough review and is committed to work on environmental mitigation. He added the essential Chicago freight hub will experience relief from congestion and said he hopes Barrington and other communities continue to work with CN. Trafton was heckled throughout his comments, with one audience member yelling, "find another route!"

The deal does have other supporters, including Solutions To Area Traffic, which issued a statement criticizing the failure to hold a meeting in towns like Buffalo Grove and Des Plaines that would benefit. CN officials maintain that the purchase is for the greater good, helping communities including those in START.

CN also brokered a deal this week with Joliet to alleviate its concerns and says it wants to make similar pacts with other towns affected.

"We're not making so much progress with Barrington," CN spokesman Jim Kvederas said.

Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean of Barrington said many communities are hip to CN's "divide and conquer strategy. I question if they are honest brokers," she said.

Meanwhile public safety officials including Barrington fire Chief James Arie, Police Chief Jeff Lawler and Lake Zurich Fire and Rescue Department chief Terry Mastandrea spoke about increased emergency response times due to ambulances waiting longer at railroad tracks.

Barrington High School District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard said the EJ&E tracks "cut through the heart of District 220" and the deal would negatively impact "safety, efficiency and costs."

Because of the size of the crowd, the hearing was extended a couple of hours past its scheduled 9 p.m. close. Barrington Village President Karen Darch said she is hopeful the turnout will convince the board to reject CN's proposal.

"No one could orchestrate this; this does come from their hearts," she said.

Overheard ...

Elaine Paolella, Deer Park

"Maybe I'm wrong but it doesn't sound like CN is even meeting with people. I back right up to the tracks and I feel it's going to kill business in Barrington. Hopefully, what will come out of this is that CN decides to work with the suburbs, but my opinion is that they don't care."

Jeff Sabitt, Hawthorn Woods

"The purpose of the walk, to me, is that it shows something outside the controlled environment that CN has managed to arrange. They're trying to fine-tune everything to make sure it's as pretty as can be."

Linda Reinhard, Barrington

"There's a lot of energy to keep Barrington the way it is."

Lisa Appleby, Barrington

"I hope that they see it's important to stand up for things you believe in, or in this case, thing you don't believe in."

Bob Miseyka, Barrington

"Nobody wants to impede progress, but they're leaving communities to bear the brunt of this."

Deer Park Village President Scott Gifford, on the Surface Transportation Board:

"It's an autonomous board not under the control of Congress."

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