from a group including DuPage County, Metra, several Northwest suburbs, and a number of lawmakers – wouldn’t have major environmental consequences. That’s according to a draft environmental impact statement released Friday by the Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that must sign off on the deal.Late last year, the two companies submitted a merger application for a deal that would create the only freight rail line linking Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
But the STB statement found the merger would only have “minor adverse impacts” on delays at grade crossings, with an average increase in 0.7 seconds of wait time per vehicle. The report does acknowledge an increase in frequency of noise and vibration caused by additional train traffic, and recommends additional noise mitigations beyond what the companies hoping to merge have proposed. And it recommends additional mitigations to prevent the accidental release of hazardous materials that could be caused by proposed capital improvement projects along the merged line.