CHICAGO (AP) - U.S.
Sen. Dick Durbin is accusing Canadian National Railway Co. of ignoring
complaints about safety and congestion along a major rail corridor in
northern Illinois.
The Democratic
senator says the company is also standing in the way of the state’s plan to
restore Amtrak passenger service between Chicago and Dubuque, Iowa, after
more than three decades.
A letter Durbin
wrote this week to CN President and Chief Executive Claude Mongeau points to
the heightened tension between the company and dozens of communities around
Chicago as freight train traffic increases.
A spokesman for CN
did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Durbin’s letter
says CN has failed to take action on even the most minor safety issues
raised by communities along the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway line.