CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The federal Surface Transportation Board is weighing the merger between the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railroads following a series of public hearings. Metra and some elected officials who are opposed are trying to keep the pressure on.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined Metra execs at Union Station Wednesday, where he called the merger a bad deal for people who use, live, or work along the Milwaukee North and West Lines.
Canadian Pacific already controls the rail traffic there, and they claimed the railway company routinely violates an agreement regarding rail traffic.
Krishnamoorthi said Metra delays, caused by freight trains, have increased dramatically in recent years.
“These delays will only worsen with this merger, as proposed,” he said. “Today we’re talking about three freight trains daily on the Milwaukee District West Line, and those three freight trains per day are causing this much havoc. Imagine what will happen when it goes from three freight trains per day, as Canadian Pacific has already told us, to eleven freight trains per day."
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Krishnamoorthi said a recent Metra filing states the increase would cause delays to increase by 300%, “which would, quote unquote, ‘break its system.’”
Metra COO Kevin McCann said you need only to look at social media to see the impact on riders, who have expressed their frustrations about not being able to get to or from trains due to stopped freight trains. He said one commuter posted video of himself crawling under a freight train so he could get to his commuter train.
The public hearings on the matter, where there has been widespread opposition in the Chicago area, are done.
Now federal authorities are considering the merger.
Metra suggested a new environmental impact study to determine the real impact and claimed it wasn’t done thoroughly after the merger was proposed.
Metra and Canadian Pacific have a difference of opinion on the impact.
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