Federal board checks up on CN's performance

A snapshot of how towns are responding to CN's takeover of the EJ&E Railroad will be released in March.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board surveyed 33 towns in January, saying it wanted to find out how CN was complying with conditions imposed when it approved the EJ&E merger in 2008.

The STB contacted towns still fighting the merger and ones that had reached mitigation agreements with CN to pay for negative effects caused by more trains.

A sneak peek at some surveys showed mixed reviews.

Hoffman Estates, which negotiated a nearly $4 million mitigation deal with CN, reported the railroad had communicated with the village, provided hazardous materials training and both sides were working on noise and safety improvements.

Naperville, which has no agreement, reported that CN had communicated on noise, haz-mat and emergency response issues but not on safety. The city noted that "CN has not been as proactive in many of the voluntary mitigation items as we would like."

West Chicago also negotiated an agreement with CN where the railroad pays for a pedestrian underpass at George Street, money to soundproof homes and realigning South Aurora Street.

The city's focus now is seeing that the railroad lives up to its commitment, City Administrator Michael Guttman said. "So far, they've made progress," he noted.

Barrington opposes the EJ&E acquisition and contends that CN is holding back on information in its monthly reports to the government. The questions on the STB survey don't go far enough, Barrington Mayor Karen Darch said.

"It's nice the STB is making an attempt, but it's a more complex issue than it's been made to appear," she said.