State: Railroad should help with overpasses

The Illinois Commerce Commission is proposing that the Canadian National Railway be required to help local governments get funding for any needed overpasses if it acquires a suburban rail line.

Approval of Canadian National's purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co. is pending with federal regulators. It would use the 198-mile line running from Waukegan to Joliet to Gary as a freight bypass around Chicago's congested rail corridor.

In addition to requiring the assistance of the CN to obtain funding to build overpasses, the ICC is proposing that the three-year period during which the U.S. Surface Transportation Board would monitor the impact of the proposed acquisition should be expanded to from five to 10 years.

The CN had no comment Tuesday on the ICC proposal.