'We need to make sure our voices are heard': Suburbs join forces to oppose railway merger

Eight suburbs along the Milwaukee Road West rail line on Tuesday announced the formation of a coalition to stop the merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads that they allege would disrupt residents' lives and even put people at risk.

Mayors from Itasca, Bartlett, Bensenville, Elgin, Hanover Park, Roselle, Schaumburg and Wood Dale, supported by local police and fire personnel, held a news conference at Itasca village hall to announce they've created the Coalition to Stop CPKC. The mayors said the $31 billion merger would cut into the heart of their communities.

In late 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. purchased Kansas City Southern for $31 billion, including debt. The merger - if approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board - would establish the first single-line railway system in history that connects Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Industry representatives say it also would provide new transportation options for businesses throughout the U.S.

The transportation board has said it expects to have a decision by the fall. If the merger is granted, integrating railroad services is expected to take three years to complete.

Suburban leaders fear the merger could turn their downtowns into parking lots, with at least a 300% increase in freight train traffic and individual trains up to two miles long.

Itasca Mayor Jeff Pruyn, who led the news conference, said the eight communities in the coalition represent more than 300,000 residents and at least 50 at-grade crossings. In Itasca, he said, one long train conceivably could block all five grade crossings at once, imperiling the swift travel of emergency vehicles.

"The ... merger would traverse right through the heart and soul of our eight communities and would cause irreparable damage to our residents, children, businesses, property owners and harm to many of our natural resources," Pruyn said.

Wood Dale Mayor Nunzio Pulice added that the merger "will have a lethal impact on victims of traffic accidents, emergency medical incidents, criminal activity and other emergencies by delaying police, fire and EMS response times."

Pruyn said the coalition will file its response to the merger application to the Surface Transportation Board by Feb. 28. He said if the coalition is unsuccessful in stopping the merger, it will at least look to get help in mitigating its worst effects.

"We know we have our work cut out for us," Pruyn said. "But we need to make sure our voices are heard."

The CP and KC railroads provide rail service for many industries, including agriculture, minerals, military, automotive, chemical and petroleum, energy, industrial and consumer products, according to a coalition news release quoting the railroads' application.

"When the daily carloads of hazardous material increases pursuant to CPKC's plan, the risk of potential accidents - with disastrous consequences - is increased, particularly due to the line running adjacent to residential areas and nearby schools," Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig said.

Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain said his city's costs to mitigate the negative effects of more trains would be "astronomical."

In addition to expecting significantly more trains, CPKC projects an increase in truck traffic in Bensenville, from 383 trucks per day to 698 trucks per day, by 2027, according to the coalition.

"There must be a careful balancing of the broader public interest when it comes to a railroad merger, especially one that could severely negatively impact public safety in each of our communities," Bensenville Village President Frank DeSimone said.

The Milwaukee West Line goes through southern Schaumburg, where President Tom Dailly spoke to environmental concerns.

"The railroad tracks pass through some pretty intense wetlands, not only in Schaumburg but also on the Roselle side," he said. " ... We expect a thorough environmental impact study will be undertaken to determine any ecological and natural resource impact that might be caused by the increased rail traffic."

Canadian Pacific is one of Canada's two major railroads, extending across the country and connecting east- and west-coast ports in Montreal and Vancouver.

In December, a representative from Canadian Pacific responded to a Daily Herald request for comment in an email, saying that they will work hard to be a good neighbor and mitigate potential adverse community impacts, working with the communities through the process.