CHICAGO — CN announced agreements with the villages of Matteson and Vernon Hills, Ill., addressing the municipalities’ concerns with CN’s acquisition of the principal lines of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E). CN completed its EJ&E acquisition on Jan. 31.
Under the agreements with south suburban Matteson, CN will fund the creation of quiet zones and noise mitigation, and provide emergency response personnel training, among other items. In north suburban Vernon Hills, CN will assist in the creation and maintenance of quiet zones, install safety fencing, and provide emergency response personnel training and emergency communication improvements.
“CN continues to make solid progress in reaching voluntary mitigation agreements with communities affected by the company’s acquisition of the EJ&E,” said Gordon Trafton, CN senior vice-president, Southern Region. “In addition, we are moving forward with the implementation of mitigation measures contained in our voluntary agreements with other communities, as well as mitigation measures required by the Surface Transportation Board.
“CN has started re-routing some trains over the EJ&E and expects full integration of the CN and EJ&E networks within three years. As we move forward with the integration and infrastructure improvements, CN is committed to communicating changes in a timely manner to all 33 communities affected by the acquisition.”
Including Matteson and Vernon Hills, CN has signed voluntary mitigation agreements with 14 communities in Illinois and Indiana.
— PRNewswire-FirstCall
