railway plan met with protests

From the Daily Herald

The protest signs were indication enough that Barrington-area residents aren't welcoming the prospect of more freight trains with open arms.
Hundreds jammed the Makray Memorial Golf Club in Barrington this afternoon to comment on the Canadian National Railway's plans to purchase the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern railroad.
CN's planned $300 million acquisition of the EJ&E, which runs from Wauconda to Gary, Ind., through Lake, Cook, DuPage and Will counties, still needs approval from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Wednesday, federal regulators held the second of seven forums to hear community reaction to the plan.
CN intends to move freight trains from some of its more congested lines to the EJ&E. Overall, the changes mean 34 towns will see more freights and 80 will see fewer.
In Barrington, where 15 more trains a day could rumble through town, "there's no positives to this whole thing," said Deer Park resident Priscilla Roder, who left the meeting with a lawn sign protesting the move.
Good Shepherd Hospital physicians added their concerns, saying that more freights at crossings could delay ambulances and cost valuable time in the crucial "golden hour" right after someone falls ill or is injured.
"Every minute that someone's heart isn't beating reduces their ability to survive 10 percent," said physician Joseph Giangrasso, medical director for the emergency department at the Lake Barrington hospital.
U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo also showed up at the forum to deliver a formal objection.
For McHenry County residents who rely on already congested roads such as Route 14 to reach their jobs, "the addition of freight trains will back up traffic even more," the Egan Republican said.
Trains using the EJ&E could be about 8,000 feet long and travel at speeds of about 40 mph, CN said. The average time it takes to get through a crossing is about five minutes.
The railroad maintains that the region will benefit as a whole by moving freights to the EJ&E, with traffic going down significantly in areas such as Chicago and Des Plaines.
"We're committed to addressing the impact as best we can. It's in our interests to come up with solutions," CN senior counsel Theodore Kalick said.
A second Barrington hearing on the changes was scheduled later the same day at the same location.
The EJ&E tracks also were intended to be a crucial part of the STAR Line, a proposed Metra rail service connecting Cook, DuPage and Will counties.
CN doesn't want STAR Line trains to piggyback on the EJ&E, although officials said Metra is welcome to build additional track alongside.
"That's a double whammy," Manzullo stated, adding new track costs are prohibitive.
The Surface Transportation Board will hold another hearing Jan. 17 in West Chicago.