U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st, has joined a bipartisan coalition in introducing the Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety (TRACS) Act, which would require the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to give greater consideration to the impact of railroad transactions on local communities.

“The TRACS Act would compel the STB to look out for the interests of the American people, not just the railroad corporations,” Visclosky said in a statement released on Thursday. “So far, the people of Northwest Indiana have been shortchanged by the STB in the CN/EJ&E transaction. Hopefully the House of Representatives will take action on this bill quickly and we can enact it into law so that the STB gives greater credence to the quality of life in Northwestern Indiana as it considers the CN/EJ&E transaction.”

“The bill would require the STB to place greater consideration on the impact of railroad transactions on affected communities,” the statement said. “In doing so, the STB would have to give equal consideration to the public impact and the transportation benefits of the railroads. Presently the STB considers transportation benefits first and public impact second.”

“Specifically,” the statement said, “the TRACS Act would require the STB to consider a transaction’s effect on local communities as far as public safety, grade crossing safety, hazardous materials transportation, emergency response systems, commuter rail, and Amtrak are concerned. The bill would also require the STB to reject a proposed acquisition if it finds that the transaction’s adverse impacts on affected communities outweigh the transportation benefits of the transaction. Additionally, it would allow the STB to impose conditions to mitigate the effects of the transaction on local communities.”

The CN/EJ&E transaction would result in a threefold increase in rail traffic on the existing line in Northwest Indiana and would increase the average train length from 2,590 feet to 6,321 feet, the statement said. “With as many as 34 trains per day running on the track, it would bisect local communities, impede the flow of automobile traffic, and create a considerable public safety concern.”

By way of contrast, the average daily number of trains which run through the Town of Chesterton on the Norfolk Southern line is 84, an official told the Chesterton Tribune today.

Visclosky has also expressed his concern in particular about the “obstacles to economic development initiatives, such as the expansion of the South Shore Line and the expansion of the Gary/Chicago International Airport,” which he has said the CN/EJ&E transaction would create.

“In handling the CN/EJ&E case, the STB has been a rubber stamp for the railroads and has not adequately considered the transaction’s consequences for the surrounding communities,” Visclosky said. “The TRACS Act will make the STB protect the American people as it is supposed to by putting the concerns of communities on equal footing with the railroads.”

Posted 8/1/2008