Chicago, Evergreen Park Want Feds To FINE CSX for Blocked Crossings, Train Parking

The City of Chicago and Village of Evergreen Park announced they will be seeking federal sanctions against a rail company for violating federal requirements.

CSX Transportation Inc. operates the Elsdon Line, which runs through Blue Island and Mt. Greenwood, and loops west through Evergreen Park over 95th Street, and Kedzie and 94th Street.

• Also on Patch: Local Elected Officials Fed Up with CSX Parking Trains and Blocking Crossings

The rail company is accused of blocking road and rail crossings along this line during peak rush hours and causing other disruptions to residents’ quality of life.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) have marshalled resources with Evergreen Park Mayor James Sexton, Sen. Bill Cunningham (Dist. 18), and Reps. Kelly Burke (36th District) and Fran Hurley (35th District) to address ongoing issues with CSX, since it took over the Elsdon Line in 2013.

The city and Evergreen Park have filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the federal agency that regulates rail traffic and authorizes railroad mergers, that seeks a number of potential remedies on behalf of residents, including sanctions, fines, and continued monitoring and auditing.

“For the past three years, we have tried to work cooperatively with CSX to address the many public safety and quality of life issues their takeover of the Elsdon line created for our community,” O’Shea said in a news release. “Unfortunately, we have very little to show for that effort and are now forced to take more serious action.”

Residents have complained that CSX trains frequently block street grade crossings for significant periods of time, including rush hour. Blockages along 95th Street in Evergreen Park, pose a potential hazard impeding access to two major hospitals, Little Company of Mary , and Oak Lawn’s Advocate Christ Medical Center, one of the South Side’s few trauma centers.

Another frequent complaint is “train parking.” Residents along a mile-long stretch stretch of street-level rail between 103rd and 111th Streets say that trains stop there if the rail yards are too crowded or waiting for other train traffic to clear.

According to neighborhood residents, trains park along the tracks adjacent to their homes for lengthy periods of time, usually at night, belching smoke and disrupting their sleep with noise.

Before CSX acquired the Elsdon Line, the STB imposed requirements to alleviate such issues and blocked railway crossings. For example, the railroad is required to break trains into two parts when a blockage is expected to exceed ten minutes.

CSX is also required to submit quarterly reports to the federal agency to report on its compliance. However, a legal review of CSX’s quarterly reports indicates the rail company is not in compliance with the 2013 requirements. In fact, the railroad has cut only one train over the past three years.

The federal board has imposed significant penalties on other railroads in the past. In 2007, STB fined Canadian National Railroad $250,000 for violating obligations in the Chicago area similar to those binding CSX.