CHICAGO -- Federal regulators said Wednesday they're taking a closer look at concerns about noise, vibrations and train delays along the former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway line, The Chicago Tribune reported.
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board will survey all 33 suburbs along the line, asking if they think the Canadian National Railway has accurately and completely reported problems since taking over the EJ&E last year.
Board Chairman Daniel Elliott III ordered the action after making two recent tours of the rail line with local officials.
The transportation board is sending questionnaires to the Illinois and Indiana communities affected by Canadian National's acquisition of the 198-mile rail line, which runs in an arc around Chicago from Waukegan to Joliet to Gary.
The board wants feedback about the frequency, noise and vibrations of trains, along with street blockages, traffic backups at selected rail-highway crossings, accidents and identification signs at crossings.
The action follows the board's decision in November to have an independent third-party consultant audit the reports that Canadian National is required to file monthly with the federal board as a condition of the merger.
"Today's action is in direct response to the concerns voiced by local community and elected leaders," Elliott said in a statement.
The transportation board ordered the independent audits after a coalition of suburbs led by Barrington and Aurora said they didn't trust the completeness of CN's reports on blocked crossings and rail accidents.
Canadian National officials said Wednesday that its reports are accurate.
"We've provided comprehensive reports, as we've been required to do," spokesman Patrick Waldron said.
(The preceding article by Richard Wronski was published January 21, 2010, by The Chicago Tribune.)
