New rail reports show a trend of increased crossing delays

Slowed or stopped trains - it really doesn't matter if you're the driver locked in a line of cars along the EJ&E Railroad, waiting for the freight gridlock to pass.

But for the Canadian National Railway, EJ&E's owner, it made the difference between reporting 14 stopped train delays in November and December versus 1,457 stopped and slow-moving trains estimated by a federal audit.

That distinction, which CN calls an honest mistake, drew the wrath of U.S. Surface Transportation Board members who ordered the railroad to redo a year's worth of reports.

Newly released data shows a trend of increased delays with 1,156 in January, 1,239 in February and 1,804 in March compared to a monthly average of 946 from July to December 2009.

Train crossing delays are one of the issues in a bitter fight by communities that tried to stop the merger and now are closely watching the impact.

One of the most irksome crossings in the North and West suburbs is Hawthorne Lane in West Chicago with a monthly average of 56 delays of 10 minutes or more January through March 2010. That's followed by Diamond Lake Road and Routes 60/83 near Mundelein with delays of 54 and 53 a month on average, respectively.

Other delay-prone crossings are Liberty Street in Aurora which had a high of 48 delays of 10 minutes or more in March and Diehl Road in Naperville with 35 in March.

Communities along the "J" complained that CN's plan to move freights from its busy tracks onto the underused railroad would cause noise, traffic delays, environmental problems and delay ambulances. The STB sided with CN's argument that the acquisition would ease freight congestion in the region.

But officials recognized that towns near the EJ&E, which stretches from Waukegan to Gary, Ind., would pay a price.

Regulators imposed conditions on the railroad ranging from contributing to costly grade separations in Aurora and Lynwood to compiling monthly reports detailing effects of the merger.

Concerns from opponents who didn't trust the data CN provided prompted the STB to hire an outside auditor, which caught the disconnect.

The board has yet to decide whether to punish CN for underreporting delays although one official suggested it would be fair to increase a five-year oversight period by one year.

While 22 out of 33 towns have signed deals in which CN will pay for noise and safety modifications, municipalities including Barrington and Aurora still are fighting the merger.

"I think that would be helpful to extend oversight for a year," Barrington Mayor Karen Darch said. "I fear what will happen when that monitoring period ends."

The full impact of switching trains to the EJ&E isn't felt yet because the recession depressed freight traffic and CN still is working on $100 million in improvements to the "J."

Currently, CN officials note that delays of 10 minutes or more are less now - 1,047 per month - than before the acquisition - 1,724.

Darch contends that the old EJ&E ran its trains at night more and many CN delays occur during the day time.

"That's the kind of thing that affects people's lives more," she said.

A review of train delays for March at the Diamond Lake Road crossing in Mundelein, which experienced 70 blockages, showed about 40 percent occurred between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Officials for West Chicago and Mundelein, which both have mitigation agreements with CN, agreed the blockages are troublesome but said they're coping with them.

"I try to avoid the train crossings," West Chicago Mayor Michael Kwasman said, adding that the majority of drivers stuck behind freights are likely from out of town while residents know escape routes.

When "Washington turned its back" on the suburbs by approving the merger, West Chicago had no choice but to make a deal with CN, the mayor said. "Pedestrian safety is No. 1."

The city passed a referendum to build two new fire stations so emergency responders won't be detained at blocked crossings.

And, CN is installing new power switches and track that will allow trains to speed up through the notorious Hawthorne and West Washington Street crossings, railroad spokesman Patrick Waldron said.

There are also improvements like fencing and soundproofing under way.

"They've been very cooperative to a point," Kwasman said.

Mundelein Village Administrator John Lobaito admits he's frequently stuck behind lollygagging freight trains.

"It's terrible," Lobaito said, joking that "it's a good time to practice your deep breathing."

Although the Diamond Lake Road and Routes 83/60 crossings aren't in Mundelein's corporate limits, delays affect hundreds of residents.

Motorists trapped behind dawdling trains take shortcuts in neighborhoods. "That's where you end up with people speeding or rolling through stop signs because they're trying to make up time," Lobaito said.

CN is laying new track in Mundelein designed to move trains more quickly from CN to EJ&E lines. The current configuration is curved sharply, which reduces train speed. The upgrade should allow freights to travel at 25 mph instead of 10 mph, Waldron said.

Although Barrington and other towns are fighting the STB decision in court, Lobaito doesn't anticipate a reversal.

"The bell's been rung," he said. "Now it's a matter of what we can do to resolve the problem and CN has been cooperative with us."

The railroad still is in the second of three years of myriad improvements throughout the EJ&E such as double track, Waldron said. "In order to reach maximum efficiency, it has to be completed."

Eventually, CN plans to add between 15 to 26 trains per day along the EJ&E, although West Chicago is bracing itself, Kwasman said. "It's only going to get progressively worse."