STB: CN understated track delays following EJ&E deal
(The Associated Press circulated the following on April 21, 2010.)
CHICAGO Canadian National Railway could be understating by a hundred-fold the delays its trains create on a Chicago-area rail line that's been a source of tension between the company and dozens of suburbs, federal regulators said Wednesday.
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board called on Montreal-based CN to explain why it reported a mere 14 train blockages of road crossings of 10 minutes or more in November and December when consultants brought in by the regulator found more than 1,400.
CN said in a statement that the discrepancy has to do with what the railway understood it needed to report: It only counted instances where delays were caused by fully stopped trains, while the consultants counted any case that prompted delays, including when a train slowed down but didn't stop.
Many of the nearly 30 communities along the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway line that swings around Chicago to the west opposed its sale to CN two years ago, fearing an increase in the number of trains operating on the line would block streets and snarl car traffic.
Longtime CN critics expressed dismay at the apparent gap between the reported and actual delays.
"These trains are severing vital community links, creating immense traffic congestion, and cutting off fire trucks and ambulances from those who need help," U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, a Republican from Hinsdale, said on Wednesday.
The board, which requires that CN file regular reports on delays, asked the company to explain the discrepancies at an April 28 hearing in Washington, D.C. It also asked the consulting company that came up with the far higher figure, Omaha, Neb.-based HDR Inc., to appear.
CN said the transportation board knew it was including only delays caused by stopped trains. But it added that it would comply with any orders to provide more detailed information.
HDR declined to comment on Wednesday.
Chicago is a vital but often clogged hub of the U.S. rail network. CN argued when it was in the process of buying the EJ&E that its development of the line would dramatically improve the overall flow of freight trains in and around the city.
In approving the $300 million sale after months of heated debate, the transportation board also required CN to take measures to ease any disruptions to cities, towns and villages along the line, including by installing soundproofing in some places.
STB directs CN to explain why it did not report major road crossing delays in Chicago area
(The Surface Transportation Board issued the following on April 21, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Federal Surface Transportation Board today directed Canadian National Railway Company to come before the Board and explain the significant differences between information on street-crossing blockages in the Chicago area that the railroad has provided to the Board and the results of an independent audit conducted by the Board.
The Board requires Canadian National to report every street-crossing blockage of 10 minutes or more as a condition of its 2008 acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company. In its November and December 2009 monthly reports, the railroad reported a total of 14 blockages caused by stopped trains. But an independent audit conducted on behalf of the Board by its third-party consultant, HDR Inc., found 1,457 instances during that same period of crossings blocked for 10 minutes or more by stopped or slowly moving trains.
The Board today directed Canadian National and HDR to appear at a hearing in Washington on April 28 to explain why Canadian National's submissions to the Board on crossing blockages of 10 minutes or more differ from data automatically reported by its own crossing gates and why the railroad did not disclose that it had such information. The Board also ordered the railroad to include all street-crossing blockages of 10 minutes or more, whether as a result of stopped trains or slow-moving trains, in its future reports. The Board also directed the railroad to supplement any previous reports that omit data for lengthy delays caused by slow-moving trains.
As part of the merger approval decision, the Board established numerous environmental and other conditions, including a five-year monitoring and oversight period and the establishment of a Web site, www.stbfinancedocket35087.com, to inform the public on oversight matters.
The Board tasked HDR to audit Canadian National's compliance efforts after numerous complaints by community and elected leaders. The Board also sent questionnaires to the affected communities to solicit comments about concerns about the railroad's operations and compliance.
The decision and conditions are included in the decision Canadian National Ry. and Grand Trunk Corp.,-Control-EJ&E West Co., STB Finance Docket No. 35087. Documents are available at www.stb.dot.gov.
STB: CN understated track delays following EJ&E deal
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board called on Montreal-based CN to explain why it reported a mere 14 train blockages of road crossings of 10 minutes or more in November and December when consultants brought in by the regulator found more than 1,400.
CN said in a statement that the discrepancy has to do with what the railway understood it needed to report: It only counted instances where delays were caused by fully stopped trains, while the consultants counted any case that prompted delays, including when a train slowed down but didn't stop.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
move along folks...... nothing to see here......... just a small misunderstanding.....
CN would never intentionally mislead a govt. agency or the general public.......
It only counted instances where delays were caused by fully stopped trains, while the consultants counted any case that prompted delays, including when a train slowed down but didn't stop.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
B_b_b_ut, but, but, that's the loophole we have used for a century to not give a shit about the communities we serve and flagrantly ignore their ordinances.
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I think LAMCo is done with the neo-nazi CSX rejects -- Pipes FC 8/5/23
