Odds and Sods

As 2013 nears its end, here are a few odds and sods that our followers may find of interest:

Mobile Alabama Residents Concerned about Rail Storage and Transportation of Oil

Mobile City Council recently voted to deny Illinois Central Railroad, a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway, property rights to 9 unused roads. Residents feared the properties might be turned into storage and transportation sites for Canadian tar sands oil (Al.com). See this link for more information on the risks associated with shipping oil by rail.

Rail Safety in Canada Took Nose Dive After CN Privatized in 1995

Rex Beatty, President of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, wrote in the Montreal Gazette that everyone is blaming everyone else for the deteriorating state of railway safety. He wrote, “The breakdown of the system in Canada went into high gear in 1995 with the Initial Public Offering of Canadian National Railways. The once-government-owned railway then became beholden to the vagaries of the public stock market, and productivity gains jumped well ahead of public safety…” See this link for additional information on the privatization of CN.

Dyer, Indiana Residents Upset with Canadian National Railway

Residents of several Dyer subdivisions are upset train traffic has doubled and the noise level has increased since CN bought the former EJ&E Rail Line in 2009. Sound level monitoring indicates decibel levels along the tracks rise well above safe levels (Dyer Community.com). See this link for more information on CN’s purchase of the EJ&E Rail Line.

Grayslake Has Had Enough of Canadian National Railway Road Blockages

The Grayslake Village Board has encouraged residents to contact their state and federal elected reps to complain about frequent blockages of roads by CN freight trains (Daily Herald).  The Mayor of the Illinois village said, “These stoppages are causing significant delays in emergency response by the Grayslake Police Department and Fire Protection District. These stoppages are also adversely impacting residents and businesses in Grayslake and the surrounding communities by worsening traffic congestion conditions.” See this link for more information on the costly, hazardous and inconvenient blockages of roads by trains.

CN Rail Tries to Gag Private Eye

Canadian National Railway is trying to stop a private eye from giving any more documents to APTN National News surrounding alleged improprieties, fraud and other unethical business practices by CN (APTN National News). See this link for details of the investigation by APTN.

~ by railroaded on December 28, 2013.