Franklin Park Illinois USA - Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, and other suburbs east of the Bensenville rail yard are speaking out in response to a proposed railroad merger that could eventually increase freight trains from three to 11 per day through some towns.
 
Drivers sometimes have to wait five or six minutes or longer for trains to cross the tracks in these towns, and officials say they're concerned the merger could cause additional frustration and delays.
 
The US$31 billion deal to combine the CP and KCS would create the only rail line linking the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, according to previous Chicago Tribune reports.
 
Filed on 29 Oct 2021 the federal Surface Transportation Board has until March 2024 to approve the proposal, which would be the first major railroad merger since the 1990s.
 
CP currently uses its Bensenville Intermodal Facility, or rail yard, to sort freight trains and route them to points east or west, through Franklin Park, Andy Cummings media relations manager at CP, previously told the Chicago Tribune.
 
"We anticipate additional conversations with CP for clarification on their statement that no additional trains would be traversing the rails through Franklin Park. The village is still gathering information on the effect of the merger," Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen said.
 
Pedersen said CP explained in a phone conversation that additional trains resulting from the proposed merger would not affect Franklin Park, although some railroad cars would be added to existing trains that pass through the village.
 
"That appears to indicate it would result in longer trains for Franklin Park, even if no additional trains are added," he said.
 
The CP proposal to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) showed more trains running east, from the Bensenville rail yard through Franklin Park.
 
"Those trains would have to go somewhere," Pedersen said, "so we would surmise that the submittal only identifies trains traveling on CP rails."
 
Franklin Park last fall cut the ribbon on new automated track switching at its Metra station as part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program, a public-private partnership to improve rail efficiency and minimize wait times at crossings.
 
Two miles to the east, Elmwood Park is no less concerned.
 
Last month, Village President Angelo "Skip" Saviano testified before the STB, "Elmwood Park has a 366 foot grade crossing involving three CP tracks across West Grand Avenue, a major regional road. This corridor carries more than 25,000 vehicles per day, 128 trains per day, freight and commuter, and is based in the central business district for our village."
 
Saviano explained that numerous sources are funding the construction of an underpass beneath the crossing, a major project that will not be completed until the end of 2027.
 
"Based on public filings that CP has supplied to the STB, increased train lengths and daily operations are a very real likelihood. Until a grade separation is completed at West Grand Avenue, we have concerns for the safety of all who travel through our village and greater region," Saviano said.
 
"It's all about safety. We are very concerned about increased train traffic. This is already a dangerous crossing and more trains can make it even more dangerous," Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe said.
 
The villages' focus is on CP, because even though the merger is with KCS, that rail line does not operate in the Chicago region.
 
CP currently shares tracks with Amtrak, and Metra Milwaukee District West and North trains.
 
For its Milwaukee District West Line, CP has projected that the proposed merger will increase from an average 3.41 to 11.41 trains per day, by 2027.
 
Although the immediate impact of more freight trains could mean delays for first responders, school buses, and local vehicle traffic, the benefit to commerce and the economy might not be easy to quantify.
 
In a previously issued statement, CP said, "While the overall impact of the CP/KCS transaction is unambiguously pro-environment and pro-economic growth, we recognize that we will be increasing the number of trains that operate through some communities. We will work hard to be a good neighbor."
 
The STB will weigh such considerations.
 
"The process for consideration runs like a court. All decisions and public filings, what people have sent us in regard to the case, are public record. There is a statutory deadline of 16 months from application for an STB decision," STB Public Affairs Officer Michael Booth said.
 
While 29 Feb 2023, would be 16 months from the initial 29 Oct 2021, filing, Booth said final briefs on the merger are due by 1 Jul 2022 of this year.
 
Following that, a public hearing would be set, if necessary, and a final decision rendered at the close of the evidentiary record, provided the environmental review is complete.
 
Gary Gibula.