The Naperville Sun
By Hank Beckman
March 9, 2008
Officials urge residents to speak out on EJ&E;
Railroad sale top concern for NAHC
Judy Biggert has an invitation for the chairman of the National Transportation and Safety Board.
Speaking of the proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway by the Canadian National Railway, Biggert, R-13th District, had a simple request: "Come ride the rails with us."
Biggert joined city, county and state officials Saturday at the monthly meeting of the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation.
While the meeting focused on the city's entire legislative agenda, most present had the EJ&E; sale at the top of their concerns.
The EJ&E; runs around the Chicago area, beginning in Waukegan, heading south through the western suburbs - along Naperville's western boundary - and turning east into Indiana before it heads north to the Loop area.
Because Canadian National could triple the number of freight trains along the route, suburbs all over the Chicago area are concerned about quality-of-life and environmental issues.
Other sticking points are traffic delays, the cost of updating rail crossings and the danger to a future Metra STAR commuter line.
The proposed commuter rail would run from Joliet to O'Hare Airport. Because it would use some of the EJ&E;'s tracks and involve rail rights that would go to Canadian National, the deal would put the STAR Line in jeopardy.
"It's a very serious problem," Biggert said. "I don't think Canadian National has been very cooperative."
State Sen. Randy Hultgren spoke of north-south travel in general, talking about the difficulty in travel on Route 59.
"The EJ&E; purchase might make it worse," Hultgren said.
DuPage County Board member Jim Healy urged citizens to keep the pressure on elected officials.
"When we had the issue of EJ&E; come up, we went to the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation," Healy said. "When things happen, they're going to happen fast."
Healy estimated the deal probably wouldn't be finalized until next year.
State Rep. James Meyer told the group not to be shy.
"Write to me, but don't be afraid to write to other state representatives or senators ... write to the governor."
Biggert said Illinois also was in danger of losing as much as 80 percent of the transportation money it received from the federal government because of the state's inability to come up with the 20 percent matching funds required.
Healy said the loss of the transportation funds - along with proposals by some to limit the amount of the recent quarter-cent sales tax hike going to transportation - could affect Naperville in several ways.
The expansion of Route 59 could be threatened, along with the proposed Eola Road interchange on Route 88. |