Residents' Comments Wanted for CSX Legal Action

A common site: CSX train blocking rail crossing in Beverly.

Kids climbing over stopped trains to get to school, motorists driving around malfunctioning gates, trains parked overnight in residential neighborhoods and even a woman in labor who couldn’t reach the hospital in time to have her baby because of a train blocking the 95th Street railroad crossing -- welcome to life on the Elsdon Line.

Earlier this week, the City of Chicago and Village of Evergreen Park have initiated legal action against the owner of that line, Jacksonville, FL-based CSX Transportation Company.

Local elected officials -- including Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton, Sen. Bill Cunningham, Rep. Kelly Burke, Rep Fran Hurley, Ald. Matt O’Shea and even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel -- have filed a petition with the federal Surface Transportation Board seeking sanctions against CSX.

The Elsdon Line runs through Blue Island and Beverly at approximately 3000 west, parallel to Sacramento Ave, before looping west through Evergreen Park over 95th Street, and 94th Street and Kedzie Avenue.

Since CSX took over the rail line in 2013, local officials charge that CSX has violated numerous promises to the feds and the neighborhood, including breaking trains that block crossings for longer than 10 minutes, not parking trains on the tracks within 200 feet of residential areas, and offering a rail safety class at area grammar schools, to name a few.

Evergreen Park police have also logged over 200 reports of downed gates, blocked crossings and other problems ”when they should be in the neighborhood getting bad guys,” Mayor Sexton said.

The local politicians have hired a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, Kaplan, Kirsch and Rockwell, to help seek relief for Evergreen Park and Chicago residents, including sanctions, fines, and continued monitoring and auditing.

Now it’s residents’ turn to sound off. If you live or work Evergreen Park and Beverly, or gave birth to a baby in traffic, Mayor Sexton and Ald. O’Shea (19th) are asking for citizens’ input.

From now until Feb. 29, residents are invited to submit comments on the ongoing public safety and quality of life issues. If you want your voice to be heard, you must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. 1.Comments should be submitted via email to CSX@the19thward.com before Feb. 29, 2016. All comments must reference the STB docket number FD35522.
2. Address email and snail-mail comments to: Ms. Cynthia Brown, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001
3. Comments should be as specific as possible. Statements like “I have been stopped on five separate occasions in the past month alone” are stronger than “the gates are down all the time.” Also, residents are asked to explain what specific impact these problems have had on your life (i.e. have you been late for work, dropping a child off at school, or missed a doctor’s appointment).
4. Individuals may only submit one comment.

At the end of the public comment period on Feb. 29, citizen’s feedback will be organized and submitted to the STB.

Please inform your friends and neighbors. Everyone’s voice should be heard on this.

If you need more information, contact Ald. O’Shea’s office at 773-238-8766; or Mayor Sexton at 708-422-1551.