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  • Merry Christmas, Barrington (STB issues decision)

  • Discussion relating to the Canadian National, past and present. Also includes discussion of Illinois Central and Grand Trunk Western and other subsidiary roads (including Bessemer & Lake Erie and the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway). Official site: WWW.CN.CA
Discussion relating to the Canadian National, past and present. Also includes discussion of Illinois Central and Grand Trunk Western and other subsidiary roads (including Bessemer & Lake Erie and the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway). Official site: WWW.CN.CA

Moderators: Komachi, Ken V

 #616795  by NellieBly
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Barrington, IL (and I hope everybody likes the sound of train horns!)

http://www.stb.dot.gov/newsrels.nsf/WEB ... enDocument

I am personally delighted by this decision. I think it would have been a horrible precedent if STB had allowed a few wealthy, loudmouthed NIMBYs to derail a transaction so generally beneficial to the railroad industry. I'm very proud to say the process worked as designed. After an eight-month environmental review, 22 public hearings, and lots of blather in the press, the Board made the right decision. The conditions imposed will not be excessively onerous, I don't believe, and the benefits (for both the railroad industry and for those who live close to currently busy rail lines in the core of Chicago) will be large.

To Barrington's residents, I say: Go pound sand. Spend lots of money on lawyers. It will all be wasted. State courts have no standing in this matter, and Federal courts generally side with regulatory agencies unless some defect in the process can be documented. After so many hearings, and the imposition of mitigating conditions, proving that is going to be a very tough row to hoe.
 #616811  by BuddSilverliner269
 
NellieBly wrote:Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Barrington, IL (and I hope everybody likes the sound of train horns!)

http://www.stb.dot.gov/newsrels.nsf/WEB ... enDocument

I am personally delighted by this decision. I think it would have been a horrible precedent if STB had allowed a few wealthy, loudmouthed NIMBYs to derail a transaction so generally beneficial to the railroad industry. I'm very proud to say the process worked as designed. After an eight-month environmental review, 22 public hearings, and lots of blather in the press, the Board made the right decision. The conditions imposed will not be excessively onerous, I don't believe, and the benefits (for both the railroad industry and for those who live close to currently busy rail lines in the core of Chicago) will be large.

To Barrington's residents, I say: Go pound sand. Spend lots of money on lawyers. It will all be wasted. State courts have no standing in this matter, and Federal courts generally side with regulatory agencies unless some defect in the process can be documented. After so many hearings, and the imposition of mitigating conditions, proving that is going to be a very tough row to hoe.
What does this all mean for Amtrak? Will Amtrak still have access to the Charles Air Line and the Lakefront ROW or will the trains be re-routed? Also I know its out the scope of this board, but with this transaction in place, will the freight scene in the Chicago area decline? I imagine it will still remain busy but Im just wondering
 #616823  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Before this material gets shipped off to the Canadian National Forum, allow me to note that I reside in "the Land of the Burlingtons" where there are some 146 train movements per day. While the majority of these moves are passenger, Amtrak and METRA, at least 50 are freight.

Even if at times I can be quite "un-railfanny' if I have an errand to do in town, i.e. the other side of the tracks (even if Clarendon Hills is equally "tony' on either side) and the BNSF is moving the traffic, I live; so will the folk in Barrington,

I don't think CN is talking "fifty a day'; but the acquisition of the EJ&E will enable essentially a dormant line again become a vital rail like around Chicago.

Surf's up, Surfboard :P
 #616873  by byte
 
BuddSilverliner269 wrote: What does this all mean for Amtrak? Will Amtrak still have access to the Charles Air Line and the Lakefront ROW or will the trains be re-routed? Also I know its out the scope of this board, but with this transaction in place, will the freight scene in the Chicago area decline? I imagine it will still remain busy but Im just wondering
Amtrak will still have access to lakefront trackage. CN has already promised that the Air Line will remain as-is and that Amtrak will be allowed to use it for as long as they need to.

Also worthy of noting is that NICTD (owner of the South Shore Line) is apparently interested in purchasing CN's trackage north of Kensington (including the Air Line, for getting to CUS) to provide unlimited access to Chicago. (I learned this from a NICTD higher-up who was acting as a guide during a CERA fantrip a few months ago) Currently they're limited to a set amount of daily train entries/exits on Metra's Electric District, which is a roadblock to increasing their own busy service. If NICTD elected to purchase this trackage and the interchange at Grand Crossing isn't complete, I doubt it would be much trouble for Amtrak to use it.
 #616902  by Noel Weaver
 
NellieBly wrote:Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Barrington, IL (and I hope everybody likes the sound of train horns!)

http://www.stb.dot.gov/newsrels.nsf/WEB ... enDocument

I am personally delighted by this decision. I think it would have been a horrible precedent if STB had allowed a few wealthy, loudmouthed NIMBYs to derail a transaction so generally beneficial to the railroad industry. I'm very proud to say the process worked as designed. After an eight-month environmental review, 22 public hearings, and lots of blather in the press, the Board made the right decision. The conditions imposed will not be excessively onerous, I don't believe, and the benefits (for both the railroad industry and for those who live close to currently busy rail lines in the core of Chicago) will be large.

To Barrington's residents, I say: Go pound sand. Spend lots of money on lawyers. It will all be wasted. State courts have no standing in this matter, and Federal courts generally side with regulatory agencies unless some defect in the process can be documented. After so many hearings, and the imposition of mitigating conditions, proving that is going to be a very tough row to hoe.
I absolutely agree with you on this one. Why should a few NIMBY's stand in the way of progress? It seems to happen too
often as it is, here is one that went "out the window".
Let the trains roll.
Merry Christmas all
Noel Weaver
 #616986  by tarheelman
 
It's good to see the STB working as it was designed to work. Let's hope this continues.
 #617859  by Milwaukee_F40C
 
I'm glad to see that the approval decision has been made. While I don't think S.T.B. is a legitimate function of government, at least they seem to know what their job is and did it. This merger is a good starting point toward cleaning up the mess in Chicago. Hopefully this will also mark a turning point in the way CN does business, I see that they have been doing a lot of needed track work on other lines. While I am nastalgic for the old J, it would have been a waste of resources for it to be stuck doing what it does currently forever. I gotta get out and take a few flicks before the orange loks are gone.
 #628649  by Gilbert B Norman
 
According to Associated Press (courtesy Kankakee Daily Journal), the last ditch effort in Federal Court to overturn the STB Decision in favor of the acquisition has been denied. Even if the affected parties "vow to fight on', it appears the deed is done.

Addendum Feb 01: "Done Deal"

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/Canad ... 23726.html