Hoffman Estates agrees to deal with CN

Hoffman Estates officials Monday agreed to a deal with Canadian National in which the railroad will spend nearly $4 million to address village concerns about its purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co.

The village would have final say in design plans pertaining to sound walls and other measures along Shoe Factory Road, said Village Manager James Norris said. The village board unanimously approved the proposal.

The three-member federal Surface Transportation Board has to approve the $300 million purchase, which could come by the end of the year. Some towns would experience more trains passing through after the transaction. CN maintains other towns would see benefits, as Chicago would see less traffic congestion.

CN's Eric Jakubowski said officials began talking with Hoffman Estates officials in January.

"It's been a long process. It's been a healthy, constructive process," he said.

The biggest expenditure involves 6,000 feet of sound walls near residential areas including the Bridlewood subdivision on the village's west side. That's estimated to cost $2.5 million. Other costs include $250,000 for pedestrian gates at Shoe Factory Road and $75,000 for an electronic sign. Jakubowski said that sign would display railroad alerts for motorists. There's also $200,000 for a concrete median.

Before Monday, CN had reached similar deals with six towns, including Joliet and Mundelein. Jakubowski said officials in West Chicago and South suburban Frankfort also were discussing CN proposals. West Chicago is among a group of towns rallying to block the railroad purchase. The group is called TRAC, or The Regional Answer to Canadian National.

Barrington is a vocal member of TRAC. Village President Karen Darch stressed that there are plenty of members of the group whose needs have yet to be addressed. She also wondered about the quality of deals towns like Hoffman Estates were receiving, saying some of those mitigation measures may already be required by the federal government if the purchase were to go through.

Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod had attended TRAC-related events before Monday's deal was brokered.

No one spoke out against the deal during Monday's meeting. This comes about a year after the village board held a special meeting on the west side and invited residents most affected by the railroad deal to attend. The room last year was filled with curious residents, some furious about the added traffic and noise to their neighborhood.