Naperville, IL – At a meeting of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) today suggested using funds from a regional rail infrastructure program to mitigate the impact of a proposed rail merger.  If approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), Canadian National Railway’s (CN) purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Rail Line (EJ&E) would increase train traffic on the line through Will and DuPage Counties by as much as 150%, raising concerns about safety, noise, congestion, and pollution.
 
            “Communities along the EJ&E line, including Naperville, are still trying to determine the total cost of mitigating the impact,” said Biggert.  “And while we don’t know the exact cost yet, you can be sure that it’s going to be more than the total of $40 million that CN is currently offering.  In fact, $40 million is how much the City of Naperville estimates it will cost to construct just one grade separation.”
 
           Biggert suggested reallocating federal resources available under the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program.  Originally, CREATE was to be a $1.5 billion public/private partnership to fund capital improvements on the region’s rail infrastructure.  But with a federal contribution of only $100 million that Congress included in the 2005 highway bill, and a $100 million contribution from the railroads, the program has about $200 million dollars on-hand.  As currently structured, most of this funding would be spent on projects aimed at improving the efficiency of railroad operations rather than grade separations or other mitigation efforts.  In addition, most of the funding would be spent in Chicago and Cook County rather than in surrounding suburbs.
 
            “If railroads like CN are going to insist on paying for only 5 to 10 percent of the cost of mitigation and grade separations, then we should ensure that the public contribution to CREATE will benefit communities first, Metra second, and railroad companies last,” said Biggert.  “It basically comes down to this: why should all that money for CREATE benefit the railroads and Chicago when so many trains may be rerouted through the suburbs?”
 
           Today’s meeting offered local officials and business leaders an opportunity to learn about CN’s plans and share their concerns with company officials.  In attendance were Jim Foote, CN’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Richard Greene, President and CEO of the Naperville Chamber, George Pradel, Mayor of Naperville, and DuPage County Board Member Jim Healy.

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