Chicago Metropolis 2020 Says Railroad Plan Could Ease Highway Congestion and Benefit...

Chicago Metropolis 2020 Says Railroad Plan Could Ease Highway Congestion and
Benefit Economy

CHICAGO, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Canadian National Railway's
proposal to purchase and expand the use of the EJ&E Railway Company on the
western portion of the region has the potential to ease freight congestion
that frustrates commuters and endangers the region's economy, according to
Chicago Metropolis 2020.

Chicago Metropolis 2020, a business-based civic organization, on Monday
delivered a "statement of support with conditions" to the Surface
Transportation Board (STB), the federal regulatory agency with jurisdiction
over railroad mergers and sales.

"The Chicago area freight network is choking on congestion, and freight
traffic is expected to nearly double in the next twenty years," said Jim
LaBelle, Vice President of Chicago Metropolis 2020. "CREATE, the $1.5 billion
project intended to make freight movement more efficient, has begun at a slow
pace, but Canadian National is proposing to invest its own money on the EJ&E
to help achieve the goals of CREATE It could yield substantial transportation
and economic benefits for the entire region."

Chicago Metropolis 2020 recommended the STB approve the acquisition with the
following conditions:

-- Enable other large railroad companies to connect to the EJ&E tracks, a move
that would allow rails to carry more crosstown freight shipments that
otherwise would be loaded onto trucks traveling area roadways.
-- Guarantee equal or better Amtrak service into Chicago. Amtrak now uses
CN's St. Charles Air Line, an important railroad link near McCormick Place,
and the acquisition could allow CN to abandon that line, which has great
potential for redevelopment for other uses.
-- Ensure safe and expanded mass transit service by bus and rail on routes
that cross EJ&E tracks.
-- Enable the Regional Transportation Authority to plan and implement
efficient transit service in the EJ&E corridor.
-- Mitigate negative impacts on local communities where train traffic would be
expected to increase due to expanded use of EJ&E tracks.

Chicago Metropolis 2020's statement to the STB also suggested a series of
questions that should be addressed by an environmental impact study, which the
STB is to conduct prior to acting on the CN's proposal to acquire the EJ&E.

The full text of Chicago Metropolis 2020's statement is available at
www.chicagometropolis2020.org.

SOURCE Chicago Metropolis 2020

Jim LaBelle of Chicago Metropolis 2020, +1-312-332-8156