The La Coalition Rail Safety Campaign is working proactively to prevent the recent Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern railway merger from endangering health and safety in the Woods & Wetlands region. 

Existing anti-merger efforts

Eight Illinois communities along Metra’s Milwaukee District West corridor have officially asked the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to block the $31 billion CPKC merger. The merger, approved late last year by company shareholders, still needs agency approval.

According to a February filing by the Coalition to Stop CPKC, the merger would nearly triple railway traffic, involve trains up to 2 miles long carrying additional hazardous substances through neighborhoods, and force communities to spend as much as $8.9 billion on necessary infrastructure upgrades.  

Citing expert analysis, Stop CPKC says the agency should approve the merger only on one condition: CPKC must modify its operating plan to eliminate any additional freight rail traffic through their communities—and find alternative routings for any such traffic.   

Alternative routes through our communities?  

La Coalition wants to know how any changes to CPKC’s operating plan—especially alternative routings for additional rail traffic—might affect the Woods & Wetlands region. It has respectfully asked the Lake County Board to contact Gary Hunter, the expert who studied the merger for Stop CPKC.

Hunter already understands how CPKC plans could cause operational and safety problems for communities west of Chicago. Therefore, La Coalition believes he is well suited to determine possible impacts for our area.

How you can help:

Please contact your Lake County Board member to ask them to support efforts to block CPKC (or other companies) from routing additional rail traffic through this area.

Remember, it's much easier to address this issue now than to try and do something about it after decisions are made.