Communities Opposed to CN Merger Receive Support From Senator Obama

BARRINGTON, Ill., May. 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Senator says railroad must absorb infrastructure costs associated with acquisition

BARRINGTON, Ill., May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a response letter to Barrington Village President Karen Darch, United States Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wrote he is "opposed to the merger as currently proposed" by Canadian National (CN) of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E) and "will work with affected communities to make certain their views are considered as part of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) process."

The letter by Sen. Obama is in response to a written request by Darch, who represents the Barrington Communities Against CN Rail Congestion and is a member of The Regional Answer to Canadian National (TRAC), to look into the proposed $300 million acquisition by CN that is expected to create serious environmental and safety concerns for more than three dozen suburban communities along the 198 mile EJ&E line.

"We're pleased that Sen. Obama has committed to this issue and supports our position of seeking due diligence in a full review process," said Darch. "The people of our communities are extremely passionate and remain vocal in their opposition to CN's current plans. We are hopeful that all of our federal elected officials will ban together to represent the best interest of the communities they were elected to represent."

In the letter, Sen. Obama stated that the increased freight traffic, which will add significant delays for emergency first responders and other motorists, is just one of several concerns that are raised about the merger. "The negative effect on important public transportation projects, such as Metra's New Start project STAR Line, as well as existing Amtrak service, is cause for additional concern," the letter stated.

Darch and other community leaders have argued that CN, a foreign-based company, be a responsible corporate citizen and cover the necessary mitigation expenses this deal will require. Instead, CN insists that local and U.S. tax payers subsidize mitigation costs for a deal it stands to make billions of dollars on if approved by the STB. Sen. Obama's letter to Darch echoes those sentiments, "any infrastructure improvements required by this increased freight traffic should be largely borne by CN." In addition, "Any merger should reflect a commitment by the new owners to pay for these improvements."

CN's acquisition is subject to approval from the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Due to significant environmental concerns the STB ordered late last year that an Environmental Impact Study be conducted before making a ruling on the proposed acquisition. Earlier this week CN filed a request that the STB expedite the approval process, yet another example of CN's disregard for the integrity of the process and the hundreds of thousands of residents sure to be negatively impacted if this deal is approved. For more information visit www.fightrailcongestion.com.