Federal application filed for freight railroad that would slice through Boone County

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  The Great Lakes Basin Railroad would allow freight to move more quickly from coast to coast.

 

• By Isaac Guerrero
  Staff writer

  Rockford Register Star

   

  Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 7:04 PM
  Updated Mar 8, 2016 at 7:04 PM

• The proposed Great Lakes Basin railroad would travel south from an existing railroad that runs through Milton, Wisconsin. From there, the tracks would head south through Boone County and east to Indiana, terminating south of Michigan City, Indiana. PROVIDED IMAGE

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  Posted Mar. 8, 2016 at 7:04 PM

  ROCKFORD — A group of investors has asked the federal government for permission to build and operate a roughly $8 billion railroad that, if approved, could accelerate economic development and job creation in the Rock River Valley.

  The proposed 243.5-mile Great Lakes Basin Railroad would bypass Chicago as it travels a track alignment that resembles a giant “C” linking Milton, Wisconsin, to Pinola, Indiana, according to the application submitted late Monday to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board in Washington D.C.

  The Great Lakes Basin Railroad would slice through Boone County and link to the Chicago Rockford International Airport via a spur. A mammoth jet repair hub is being built at the airport, which is expected to make the region more attractive for cargo business. The addition of a proximate freight railroad that would be used by all major U.S. freight shippers could enhance the prospect for industry in and around the Rockford airport, supporters of the project have said.

  Some Boone County farmers have voiced opposition to the Great Lakes Basin plan because it would slice a 200-foot-wide railroad right-of-way through their property. Those behind the project say they'll pay a fair price for private land they must acquire to build the railroad. But if the feds approve their project, they'll be granted the power of eminent domain — the right of government or its agent to seize private land for a greater public use in exchange for compensation to the landowner.

  The Great Lakes Basin Railroad would move goods more quickly from coast to coast by relieving traffic congestion on the jumble of freight tracks that snake through Chicago. The project, supporters say, would improve freight rail safety, minimize traffic delays and locomotive idling time and reduce train whistle noise. Congestion is to blame for, on average, 30-hour delays for freight moving through Chicago. Shifting some of that freight traffic to the Great Lakes Basin route could shave up to 26 hours off a one-way shipment through Chicago, thus saving shippers considerable money, according to the application filed with the federal government on Monday.

• ABOVE IS FROM: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160308/NEWS/160309492/0/SEARCH/?Start=2