On Monday, U.S. Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi joined local elected officials in Hanover Park, Ill. To express their concern over the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroads.
During a press conference at the Hanover Park Metra Train Station, Krishnamoorthi and Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig said the merger would have a negative impact on the surrounding communities. Additionally, the proposed plan would more than triple freight rail traffic on the CP rail line that runs between Bensenville and Elgin, Ill., officials said.
Krishnamoorthi previously joined U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL) and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in sending a letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Boards opposing the merger. The Congress members expressed concerns about the impact of the $31 billion merger on local communities, including the impact on emergency response time, the impact of delays in commuter rail operations, the impact on the environment and noise levels, and the impact on pedestrian safety. The Congress member urged the Surface Transportation Board to listen to communities directly as they consider the merger.
“I was proud to join leaders from our community today in Hanover Park in speaking out against the merger, as well as joining with my Congressional colleagues in expressing those same concerns in our letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board,” Krishnamoorthi said. “As things stand, this merger would more than triple freight rail traffic between Bensenville and Elgin while providing no meaningful mitigation or relief to local communities for the negative consequences that rail activity will have in terms of public safety, noise increases, environmental impacts, and the timely function of local Metra service. So far, we have received no proposals that seriously address the needs of our constituents…”