CN purchase of EJ&E gains traction

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

A decision by federal regulators on Canadian National Railway's purchase of the EJ&E Railway appears to be back on the fast track.

The three members of the Surface Transportation Board will have all the information they need, including key recommendations, to make their decision within a few weeks, said Victoria Rutson, chief of the board's Section of Environmental Analysis.

Rutson told the board during a public meeting in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that her section's work is almost completed. She was joined by other STB officials as well as consultants from engineering firm HDR.

All were quizzed by members of the board, who appear to be adhering to their December 2008 to December 2009 target date for rendering a decision. That decision has the potential to change life in suburban communities along the 198-mile EJ&E line.

Board member Douglas Buttrey called it the "most interesting and perplexing case" to come before him during his four years on the board.

The board can accept CN's plan as is, reject the plan or put conditions on the purchase, such as forcing the railroad to fund overpasses at EJ&E crossings.

A record-breaking 13,480 comments were submitted by the public both for and against the proposed deal, which would triple rail traffic through communities including Dyer, Schererville, Griffith and Lynwood.

Buttrey, board chairman Charles Nottingham and board member Francis Mulvey visited Griffith and other communities along the EJ&E arc earlier this year. They noted the passion surrounding the issue, Buttrey said.

"When I visited these communities I even saw yard signs and notices of rallies," Buttrey said. "It was grass-roots democracy at work."