West suburbs could see five more freight trains a day if rail merger passes

As Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads’ seismic merger proposal awaits federal consideration, suburbs most affected by the plan aren’t sitting on the sidelines.

Seven municipalities crossed by freight and UP West Metra trains have retained legal experts specializing in railway law for “the collective safeguarding of our communities’ interests,” Winfield Village Manager Evan Summers said.

The coalition comprises Berkeley, Elmhurst, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Winfield and Geneva.

“It doesn’t mean we’re fighting it; it just means we want to share costs and concerns and monitor (events) to make sure that concerns are addressed,” Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin said. “It’s a good intergovernmental setup that keeps the costs fairly minimal for each of the participants.”

Towns are still digesting the 7,032-page application filed April 30, Summers noted. Suburbs west of Berkeley to Elburn, situated along Metra’s Union Pacific West Line, could see five more freight trains per day, according to railroad estimates. Communities stretching east of Berkeley into the West Side of Chicago would experience 14 more trains if the proposal is approved.

“Simply put, freight traffic is projected to grow by approximately 10% to 20% along our portion of the line,” Summers said.

The freight giants’ latest application to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board seeks to create “America’s first transcontinental railroad.” It was amended after rival railroads, such as BNSF, filed complaints arguing the original request was incomplete and the board agreed.

If the projection of five more trains is accurate, Elmhurst leaders “are not regarding that as significant,” Levin said, adding a downtown underpass relieves rail traffic pressure.

But “I’m sure every municipality has concerns about the staging or the blocking of crossings, and we want to make sure that it’s not going to interfere any way with existing (Metra) commuter lines.”

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern contend “the merger will drive growth by linking two complementary networks — one anchored in the West and the other in the East — into a unified transcontinental railroad capable of providing safe, reliable, single-line rail service.”

Leaders promised the pact would eliminate delay-causing cargo transfers between UP and NS in hubs like Chicago, which also raise costs.

“This merger enhances competition and delivers real public benefits that make America’s supply chain stronger,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said.

Other major railroads, some shippers and unions have joined forces to fight the consolidation, arguing it will drive up costs and cut jobs.

“This did not begin with a customer asking for a UP-NS merger to happen,” BNSF CEO Katie Farmer said in a statement. “It’s driven by Wall Street on the promise of a big shareholder payout. It will eliminate competition, raise costs for consumers and destabilize the supply chain that powers the American economy.”

The Surface Transportation Board is currently reviewing the application to see if it has all the required information.

As the rail titans battle, suburban stakeholders are taking advantage of a rare opportunity to catch the ear of Union Pacific on local needs.

For Elmhurst, that means advocating for a new train station. The project has been delayed for several years because UP owns the train station property and has only allowed short-term leases, which is affecting grants, Levin explained.

UP is engaging now and “I think we’re getting over the hump on that,” he said.

The region has weathered controversial railway unions before. Mergers between the EJ&E and Canadian National railroads, and Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern were approved by the Surface Transportation Board in 2008 and 2023, respectively. Multiple suburbs opposed those deals because of significant freight train increase projections.

“If they said it was going to be 25 more trains, I’d say, ‘Sorry, even if it means not having a station or you won’t cooperate with us, we’d have to fight that,’” Levin said.

“As it stands right now, it’s not my job as local elected official to weigh in on whether the merger itself is good for commerce — that’s for higher authorities,” he added. “As long as there’s a minor impact to our residents and it can get the train station moving, we’re not going to oppose it.”