CN signs voluntary mitigation agreement with Village of Plainfield, Ill.

Written by jrood

CN has reached a voluntary mitigation agreement with the Village of Plainfield, Ill., located 35 miles southwest of Chicago, addressing the municipality's environmental issues with CN's acquisition of the principal lines of the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company. With this agreement, CN has VMAs with 21 municipalities of the 33 communities situated on the EJ&E in Illinois and Indiana.

CN’s latest VMA will
provide funding for environmental measures including maintenance of an existing
quiet zone, operations mitigation, emergency response training, safety
initiatives and improved communication.

CN completed its EJ
acquisition on Jan. 31, 2009, and, while traffic volumes overall remain down
owing to general economic conditions, CN has rerouted a limited number of its trains
over the rail line.

CN is also working closely
with communities along the EJ&E that do not have agreements with CN to
ensure implementation of safety and environmental conditions in accordance with
the requirements of the STB.

Integration of the CN and
EJ&E networks is well under way, and, as contemplated in the original plan,
the company continues to expect it will be completed within three years of its
acquisition of control.

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