Obama opposes rail deal

Add Illinois senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama to those opposing Canadian National's plan to buy the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co.

In a letter to Barrington Village President Karen Darch, who's spearheading the Barrington Communities Against CN Rail Congestion, Obama wrote he's "opposed to the merger as currently proposed."

He also wrote that he'll "work with affected communities to make certain their views are considered as part of the Surface Transportation Board process."

Obama joins fellow Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin in opposing the deal.

CN wants to use the line, which runs in an arc from Waukegan to Gary, Ind., as a bypass for freight trains, alleviating delays caused by using tracks that run through the middle of the metropolitan area.

CN officials have said the change will benefit the Chicago region overall and many areas will see less train traffic.

Obama's letter, written April 15 and just released this week, was in response to Darch's request to look into the proposed $300 million acquisition.

Obama stated that besides his concern about the role the increased freight traffic would have on emergency responders, the "negative effect on important public transportation projects, such as Metra's New Start project STAR Line, as well as existing Amtrak service, is cause for additional concern."

Darch said she was pleased to receive Obama's support.

"It was good to have him weigh in on paper and basically support the same view as Sen. Durbin and Congresswoman (Melissa) Bean," she said.

U.S. Reps. Don Manzullo, Peter Roskam, Judy Biggert, Tim Johnson, Jerry Costello and Bill Foster also have publicly opposed the sale.

In the letter, Obama said the cost of any changes to area crossings should be funded by CN, not local towns.

"It is good to know our elected officials understand that," Darch said.

In a letter to Obama, CN CEO E. Hunter Harrison wrote he doesn't understand the senator's opposition.

"Our proposed acquisition of the EJ&E is a privately-funded solution to some of the rail congestion that plagues the Chicago region that will facilitate regional commerce, and, on balance, improve the region's environment," he wrote.

He added the company is willing to work with affected communities.

"We understand that communities along the EJ&E have concerns about increases in train traffic on the line," Harrison wrote. "We are working with all of those communities willing to do so to find appropriate mitigation solutions and we are prepared to pay our fair share for mitigation."

Buffalo Grove is one town poised to see a reduction in freight traffic if the deal goes through. Village Trustee Jeffrey Berman said Durbin and Obama seem to imply that some Illinois towns don't deserve more rail traffic, while others do -- an attitude he said "disturbed" him.

Berman plans on drafting his own letter of concern that the senators are not representing all of their constituents. He hopes other Buffalo Grove trustees will sign on.

Durbin said he's concerned with how dramatic the increase of freight traffic will be for those in communities along the EJ&E.

"I think the Canadian National approach is kind of a hard-headed approach that says, 'Well, the trains are going to roll through, and you'll get used to it,'" Durbin said. "The problem is there are going to be lifestyle changes when communities that don't have much freight traffic now face anywhere from 15 to 20 more trains a day."

The deal is being reviewed by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which has final say over the sale. In the meantime, an environmental impact study is being conducted. The study will focus on 15 factors including safety and quality of life.

Transportation officials said they expect a draft of the study to be finished by this summer.

Last week, CN filed a letter asking for the Surface Transportation Board to rule on the sale before Dec. 1.

Tuesday, Barrington officials filed a reply with the Surface Transportation Board, asking it to deny CN's request.

No ruling on either request has been made and surface transportation officials had no timetable on when that might happen.