Illinois Sen. Durbin says Canadian National effort falls short

BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., says Canadian National Railway has "fallen short" in its commitment to keeping Amtrak service running in Illinois after the Canadian railroad purchases the EJ&E.

The senator wants CN to fund a new connection between CN tracks and Norfolk Southern Corp. tracks that would allow the abandonment of the St. Charles Air Line.

"CN must commit to funding the Grand Crossing Route construction to ensure the continued success of Amtrak service in and out of Chicago," Durbin stated in a prepared release.

Opposition in Illinois to CN's proposed purchase of the EJ&E mirrors that in Northwest Indiana.

City and town officials in Northwest Indiana are concerned about increased train traffic at crossings leading to snarled traffic and longer commutes.

Gary/Chicago International Airport and the South Shore commuter railroad both fear the purchase could hinder expansion plans.

In an earlier letter to Durbin and U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., E. Hunter Harrison, CN's CEO, committed to spend up to $40 million for overpasses in Chicago suburbs that face major increases in freight train traffic.

He also pledged to cap Amtrak's costs for the use of CN tracks, in particular the St. Charles Air Line.

The railroad said the move should calm fears that passenger service south to Springfield, Carbondale and other Illinois cities would be jeopardized by increased traffic on the EJ&E line.

The CN seeks to buy the EJ&E -- which skirts the Chicago area from Waukegan to Joliet and Gary -- for $300 million. If the federal Surface Transportation Board approves the deal, freight traffic would quadruple through many suburbs.