CHICAGO — CN said today it will complete the merger of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E) into its Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WC) subsidiary. The move is effective Jan. 1, 2013.
The merger of the two rail affiliates that connect in the Chicago area will simplify CN’s corporate structure and operations in the United States.
“CN expects the merger will lead to operational efficiencies and service improvements,” Jim Vena, CN’s senior vice-president of the CN Southern Region, said in a statement.” These merged railroads will continue all the existing operations of WC and EJ&E in the Chicago Terminal with a unified workforce, which will permit better management of crew staffing and more efficient and reliable rail service to customers throughout the region.”
The merger was authorized through a notice of exemption for transactions within a corporate family filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) on May 23, 2012, that became effective on June 22, 2012. Voluntary implementing agreements with the unions representing the various crafts were reached, allowing the company to complete the merger, CN said.
The merger will not affect or alter the STB’s continuing oversight and reserved jurisdiction over CN’s 2009 acquisition of the EJ&E, the mitigation conditions imposed by the STB, or the Voluntary Mitigation Agreements reached by CN and numerous communities along the EJ&E arc.
