Railfanning the L in Chicago

WASHINGTON — Canadian National is urging the Surface Transportation Board to promptly approve its proposed acquisition of the principal lines of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., pointing to planned mitigation efforts and the significant economic and environmental benefits to the overall Chicago region. CN’s said its supporting facts and conclusions are contained in comments filed regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the transaction issued on July 25, 2008, by the Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) of the STB. “Our filing underscores three important facts,” said CN President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison. “First, none of

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. — CN announced an agreement with the City of Chicago Heights, Ill., located 26 miles south of downtown Chicago and six miles from the Indiana border, that addresses municipal concerns about CN’s proposed acquisition of the principal lines of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E). Under the agreement, CN will assist in the creation and maintenance of quiet zones and take various steps to improve operations, safety, fencing and emergency preparedness and promote economic development in Chicago Heights. The agreement is contingent upon regulatory approval of CN’s proposed acquisition of the EJ&E. The transaction is

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the probable cause of the derailment of a Chicago commuter transit train in the summer of 2006 resulted from the Chicago Transit Authority’s ineffective management and oversight of its track inspection and maintenance program and its system safety program, which resulted in unsafe track conditions. At 5:06 p.m. (CDT) on July 11, 2006, the last car of northbound Chicago Transit Authority train No. 220 derailed in the subway between Clark/Lake and Grand/Milwaukee stations in downtown Chicago. After the train came to a stop, electrical arcing between the last car and