Passenger Trains > EJ&E acquisition adversaries: [commuter rail option?]

July 1 news blurb from RAILWAY AGE Magazine:
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EJ&E aquisition adversaries float commuter rail option

House Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) will introduce legislation next week tagging 36 miles of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway as a "Corridor for Inter-Suburban Commuter Rail." The bill seeks to jump-start a decades-old vision for Chicago's suburbs, the Suburban Transit Access Route (STAR), which would link numerous communities with Metra rail services via a circumferential route.

Canadian National seeks to acquire the EJ&E to expedite North American rail freight traffic through the Chicago area, avoiding or reducing numerous bottlenecks. Part of Roskam's bill mandates that, if portions of the STAR route meet criteria for commuter rail services, the federal Department of Transportation would limit the route's use to commuter rail.

"At a time when gasoline is four and a half dollars a gallon ... we need to do everything we can to make sure there is efficient rail, there is commuter rail and that it makes sense," Roskam said.

In response, CN said the proposed legislation "is going counter" to the railroad's efforts to foster regional economic growth, but also said CN is willing to work with Metra on issues involving the STAR Line, including current and future capacity issues. "We've given assurance we will work with Metra if and when the STAR line goes forward to find a way," a CN spokesman said.

A circumferential commuter passenger route around Chicago is an essential element in moving into the 21st century of public transit. The old model of commutes into a central city area increasingly serves a smaller and smaller portion of the commuting public. Also, as venues for other aspects of life (arts, recreation) also spread out in greater Chicago, the need for such a route becomes evident.

If we are going to get people out of individual petroleum conveyance devices (IPCDs - better known as cars) onto public transit, we need innovative routing as well as traditional ones.

When I lived in the southern suburbs of Chicago, I could walk to the Metra-Electric line which would get me into the city quickly and efficiently. But if I wanted to head anywhere other than downtown I knew I would spend about twice the time and have multiple connections to get there compared to use of my IPCD.

Most metropolitan areas would give their eye-teeth to have such a well-placed ROW as the EJ&E as a site for commuter rail. It is too bad that it took the CN's foresight on freight to awaken some visionary action on the part of politicians on this potential.

How ironic is it that here in Southern Calif., where we had NO local rail passenger service 20 years ago, the Inland Empire-Orange County Metrolink service has been running for several years now, is doing great business, and doesn't go anywhere near downtown Los Angeles.

June issue of "First & Fastest" says CN wants METRA and freight to be on separate tracks on the STAR portion of the EJ&E.
Between the massive capital costs of doing that to start up STAR operations, and the necessity of having to eliminate dozens of grade-crossing all along the EJ&E, the CN/EJ&E merger requires a huge government bailout. No wonder CN finds it profitable.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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"June issue of "First & Fastest" says CN wants METRA and freight to be on separate tracks on the STAR portion of the EJ&E. Between the massive capital costs of doing that to start up STAR operations, and the necessity of having to eliminate dozens of grade-crossing all along the EJ&E, the CN/EJ&E merger requires a huge government bailout. No wonder CN finds it profitable."

The STAR Line studies that I have read all call for separation of the proposed Metra tracks and the EJ&E tracks. These studies predate, by several years,the CN announcement that they wanted to purchase the CN. It has always been the EJ&E's stated desire for this separation. It is not fair to blame CN for the seperate rights of way.

The challenge for the STAR line is that the EJ&E avoids pretty much all the major employers in the Fox Valley corridor. Also, the western suburbs and their connecting transportaiton were never laid out with consideration to mode of transportation other than car. Hence, we get sprawling campuses that do not lend themselves to pedestrian access similar to what is found in a downtown business district.

While it would be nice to have an inter-suburb rail service I wonder how useful it would be given the dispersed nature of the suburbs. Almost any commute is going to require a bus ride at the end and that after one but possibly two train rides. With the price of gas some people might avail themselves but the fact remains that the greatest bang for the buck is in commuter service from suburbs to downtown. By any accounting I'd bet the greater return would be on more service to downtown. Extensions of all the present lines (including IL/WI cooperation on Metra to Milwaukee), service on the ex-C&EI, more service on lines like the ex-Wabash, and so forth. And while not Metra, that additional NICTD line that has been discussed. Surely those investments would result in getting more people out of their cars and more passenger miles than an EJ&E line however cool it would be to see passenger trains on the J. The Star line is more about politics and building constituencies than logic. Given unlimited resources it should all be built and the J service should go all the way to Chicago Heights, too. But resources aren't unlimited.