Letter to Daniel R. Elliot III, Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board - Amtrak

Letter

Dear Chairman Elliott:

Thank you for meeting with me this week to discuss passenger and freight rail service issues in Illinois. I wanted to extend an invitation to you and other Board Members to visit Illinois to see first-hand the issues we discussed.

As you know, the STB placed Canadian National (CN) Railroad under an unprecedented six year monitoring period after CN completed the controversial purchase of the EJ&E. The monitoring period was put in place to ensure CN fully complies with the promises it made when CN acquired the EJ&E.

Several suburban communities in Illinois have contacted the STB with their concerns about increased rail traffic along the EJ&E. The Village of Barrington and City of Aurora in particular have been vigilant in promoting increased rail safety, especially for trains carrying crude oil and ethanol. These large unit trains, and other freight trains, are blocking crossings and increasing delays throughout the EJ&E corridor. In fact, despite CN's claims that track upgrades would decrease the number and duration of blocked crossings, there have been 5,267 instances of crossings being blocked by trains for ten minutes or more in the first quarter of 2014 -- the highest number since CN took ownership of the rail line.

I believe it is important for you to visit these communities and hear their ideas about how the STB can ensure CN is operating safely and honoring their commitments to protect the quality of life of families living along the EJ&E.

I also encourage you to visit Illinois to investigate ways the STB can take a more active role in improving the on-time performance (OTP) for Amtrak trains. Amtrak OTP has suffered significantly this fiscal year along all lines, but none worse than the Chicago-Champaign-Carbondale route owned and operated by CN. The Illini and Saluki trains are consistently delayed by freight trains, resulting in trains arriving on-time only 54 percent of the time this fiscal year, including one scheduled train arriving on-time only 34 percent of the time.

These figures are unacceptable and deserve the Board's immediate attention and action. Amtrak recently filed an updated petition with the STB citing CN's obstructions and delays that resulted in the dismal OTP for Amtrak passenger trains. I strongly encourage you to visit Illinois to investigate this matter further and use your authority under the 2008 Amtrak Reauthorization law I promoted to enforce OTP standards when a railroad, like CN, fails to keep passenger trains on-time at least 80 percent of the time.

Reliable, safe and on-time rail service is vital to the Illinois economy. The STB can help us achieve these goals by practicing rigorous oversight of railroads who fail to meet their legal requirements or keep their commitments made before the STB. I believe you can help improve these issues by visiting Illinois and bringing your findings back to the full STB for action soon.

Sincerely,



Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

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