(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is warning that a proposed merger two rail lines could spell trouble for commuters and a lot more in the Northwest suburbs.
The Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail lines want to merge their operations, but Schaumburg, Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said that means more freight traffic on the same tracks used by Metra's Milwaukee district West line.
It also means longer trains- some long enough to block all the intersections in one suburb simultaneously, which could affect emergency response, according to Krishnamoorthi
"Metra is saying in terms of lengthening delays for commuters, is a big problem, especially when Metro is struggling to regain ridership after the pandemic," he said.
"Having this compound their their issues poses more challenges for us."
Krishnamoorthy said if Metra could have some control over the scheduling of the freight trains that could help, but he, Senator Dick Durbin, and other Illinois Congress members want to put the brakes on this plan.
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