Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. Railroad Proposal

A Kankakee CountyPerspective

Kankakee County Planning Department189 E. Court St, Room 201Kankakee, IL 60901815-937-2940Delbert K. Skimerhorn, Sr. AICP, GISPGeoffrey Olson

June 15, 2016

WHAT WE KNOW

June 15, 2016

PROJECT DESCRIPTION• Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc.

(GLBT) is proposing to build a 278 mile $8B railroad line around the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

– Rail corridor would be 200’ wide.– a 50’ utility corridor is included in width.– Two main tracks would be constructed with

some stretches containing 3 tracks.– Designed for speeds of up to 70mph.– Designed capacity would allow up to 110

trains per day. – GLBT would provide switching, servicing,

repair services, and terminal services to its customers.

• Included in the plan is a 15,000+/- acre area for a rail port located in northern Sumner Township (Kankakee County).

THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT SPONSORED PROJECT!!!

KANKAKEE COUNTY

• The rail would travel 41.2 miles through Kankakee County.

• The rail passes through 7 Townships and in close proximity to 3 municipalities.

• The rail crosses the Kankakee River and the State Park just east of Warner Bridge Road.

• 998 acres of land would be consumed by the railroad in Kankakee County. (Not including rail port)

• The 15,000 +/- acre rail port is in Kankakee County (Sumner Twp.)

RAILPORT DESCRIPTION

• A 15,000+/- acre rail port is planned for northern Sumner Township (Kankakee County).

– GLBT will provide switching, servicing, repair services, and terminal services to its customers.

– The area identified by GLBT is 3 miles by 7.5 miles in size.

– Red dots on map indicate structures. There are 1171 structures within the rail port Boundary (2010 data).

– Light Blue lines indicate tracks within the rail port. 21 tracks shown.

– Yellow loop at eastern end is a maintenance yard.

– The red line is the main track.

RAILPORT COMPARISON

• The world’s largest rail port is the Bailey Yard in North Platte, NE which is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.

– The yard is immediately adjacent to North Platte.

– The yard covers 2,850 acres of land– Total length of the yard is 8 miles.

– There are 17 receiving and 16 departing tracks.

– The facility handles 14,000 rail cars per day.

– An average of 139 trains per day are handled at the yard.

– 9,000 locomotives are processed each month at the maintenance facility.

– The facility employs 2,600 people.

BAILEY YARD

SIZE COMPARISON

This graphic depicts the Bailey Yard on top of the GLBT’s proposed rail port to illustrate the difference in size. Keep in mind that the Bailey port is currently the largest in the world.

ROAD CROSSINGS / CLOSURESTownship At Grade Crossing Grade Separated Closed Crossing

Essex 7 0 0

Salina 8 0 0

Limestone 0 2 0

Rockville 7 1 0

Manteno 1 3 1

Sumner 0 0 7*

Yellowhead 3 1 3

Total 26 7 11* Some east-west roads may be closed through the rail port in addition to this number of north-south roads.

• These figures are based on data provided by GLBT.• All State Highways and I-57 will have grade separated crossings.• All other roads will have at-grade crossings.• All roads within the rail port plus 2 in Yellowhead Township will be closed.

AT-GRADE CROSSING MAP

RESIDENTIAL USES

• Staff used the County’s GIS to determine the number of homes affected by the railroad and the rail port.

Distance Number of Homes

Within 200’ ROW 19*

Within .1 mile of ROW 86

Within .25 mile of ROW 194

Within .5 mile of ROW 570

Within .75 mile of ROW 998

Within 1 mile of ROW 1447

Within Rail Port 271* All 19 are trailers in a trailer park in Manteno Twp.

PROJECT PURPOSE(From GLBT’s Website)

The Chicago rail terminal is the largest and most complex in the United States, and not just for carload traffic. In terms of sheer volume, Chicago would qualify as the third-largest container port in the world. The fundamental need for GLB’s proposed rail line arises out of the limited capacity at this already-congested rail hub.

Chicago is the preferred interchange point for much of the freight traffic carried by the six Class 1 railroads serving the city, with about 500 freight trains operating in the area on an average weekday. A substantial fraction of that traffic—estimated at 15 to 25%—does not originate or terminate in Chicago. Today, that traffic has to fight its way through a crowded terminal area that also hosts about 700 Metra and Amtrak passenger trains every weekday. To make matters more difficult, Chicago’s physical plant, although well-maintained, has not changed significantly in over a century.

The severe winters of 2012-13 and 2013-14 underscored how problematic the Chicago rail terminal can be. As weather delays grew, the terminal was quickly stretched beyond its capacity, creating severe delays for commodities moving through the terminal. And because Chicago is the most important hub for the six largest Class 1 railroads, those delays reverberated throughout the entire North American rail network.

These are the issues that exist today. In the future, as business and population in the Chicago region expand, even more rail capacity will be needed. But because the present Chicago rail network is surrounded by urban and suburban development, it would be extraordinarily expensive—if not impossible—to add additional main track capacity to the current Chicago terminal. That is where GLB’s proposed new rail line comes in.

The purpose of the GLB Railroad project is to construct and operate a safe, reliable, and entirely new freight rail bypass around Chicago that would link existing main lines entering the Chicago area, permit trains to bypass the congested terminal area, and add capacity to accommodate existing and reasonably anticipated future growth—all while avoiding major population centers along its route.

The proposed GLB rail line would provide additional capacity by giving the Class 1 railroads an alternate route for the 15-to-25% of current Chicago rail traffic that does not need to go into the terminal for sorting or delivery. By using the GLB route, many unit commodity trains and mixed carload and intermodal trains could avoid Chicago’s congestion and transfer from railroad to railroad in eight hours or less under normal circumstances. The capacity relief resulting from the GLB project should allow the railroads to better handle their Chicago proper and suburban traffic, and make room for potential future growth within the existing terminal network. What is more, the increased capacity offered by the GLB rail line will enhance the effectiveness of other projects designed to improve traffic flow within the Chicago rail hub, including the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE).

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Request

• GLBT is seeking either a petition for exemption or authority from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to construct and operate the railroad. Based on information from the STB website, it is unclear if an application has been submitted.

– Excerpt from home page of STB website:“Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. (GLBT) plans to file either a petition for exemption or an application seeking authority from the Surface Transportation Board (Board) to construct and operate an approximately 278-mile rail line.“

– Excerpt from Project Background page of STB website:“GLBT's proposed rail line would involve either a petition for exemption or an application seeking authority from the Board to construct and operate an approximately 278-mile rail line…”

ENABLING LEGISLATIONThe enabling legislation is:

49 U.S. Code § 10901 - Authorizing construction and operation of railroad lines(a) A person may—

(1) construct an extension to any of its railroad lines;(2) construct an additional railroad line;(3) provide transportation over, or by means of, an extended or additional railroad line; or(4) in the case of a person other than a rail carrier, acquire a railroad line or acquire or operate an extended or additional railroad line, only if the Board issues a certificate authorizing such activity under subsection (c).

(b) A proceeding to grant authority under subsection (a) of this section begins when an application is filed. On receiving the application, the Board shall give reasonable public notice, including notice to the Governor of any affected State, of the beginning of such proceeding.

(c) The Board shall issue a certificate authorizing activities for which such authority is requested in an application filed under subsection (b) unless the Board finds that such activities are inconsistent with the public convenience and necessity. Such certificate may approve the application as filed, or with modifications, and may require compliance with conditions (other than labor protection conditions) the Board finds necessary in the public interest.

(d) (1) When a certificate has been issued by the Board under this section authorizing the construction or extension of a railroad line, no other rail carrier may block any construction or extension authorized by such certificate by refusing to permit the carrier to cross its property if—

(A) the construction does not unreasonably interfere with the operation of the crossed line;(B) the operation does not materially interfere with the operation of the crossed line; and(C) the owner of the crossing line compensates the owner of the crossed line.

(2) If the parties are unable to agree on the terms of operation or the amount of payment for purposes of paragraph (1) of this subsection, either party may submit the matters in dispute to the Board for determination. The Board shall make a determination under this paragraph within 120 days after the dispute is submitted for determination.

APPROVAL PROCESS• The approval process involves two phases; a

Transportation Merits Review and an Environmental Review.

– Both are separate processes but the Transportation Merits Phase will include environmental issues raised in the Environmental Review Phase.

– Because the Environmental Review process is lengthy it is usually initiated before an application is filed for Transportation Merits Review.

• Currently the STB is analyzing the potential environmental impacts of the project. The project has begun the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process as is required before a decision can be made. This is the Environmental Review Phase.

NEPA PROCESS – Step 1

• Scoping – Conduct Agency (STB) and Public Scoping meetings.

(The project is at this stage)– Compile comments.– Develop a reasonable range of alternatives including a

“No Action” alternative.– Identify topics to be analyzed in the Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS)– Issue Final Scope of study.

• Scoping was extended to June 15, 2016 and has been extended again to July 15, 2016.

NEPA PROCESS – Step 2

• Draft EIS– Analyze environmental effects of the proposed action and

alternatives.– Develop preliminary mitigation.– Prepare and issue the Draft EIS.– Establish public comment period.– Hold public meetings.

• Environmental Impacts to be analyzed include:– Transportation Systems, Safety, Land Use, Recreation, Biological

Resources, Water Resources, Navigation, Geology and Soils, Air Quality and Climate Change, Noise and Vibration, Energy Resources, Socioeconomics, Cultural and Historical Resources, Visual Resources, Environmental Justice.

NEPA PROCESS – Step 3

• Final EIS– Respond to comments on the Draft EIS.– Identify Office of Environmental Analysis’

preferred alternative.– Prepare and issue the Final EIS.

NEPA PROCESS – Step 4 –Final Step

• Decision– Final decision issued by the Board (STB).

(Equivalent of Record of Decision)– Cooperating Agencies issue Records of Decision.

(This could be any other Federal Agency affected by the project)

• It is unclear if this “Final Decision” is a decision on the Final EIS or a final decision on the project. (Transportation Merit Review Phase)

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS (STAFF)It is difficult to assess the full impact of this project with the limited information that we have. Below are some of the questions that staff has raised.

• The exact location of the railroad. – We will not have information on specific routes until the scoping portion (step 1) of the NEPA

process is complete.

• Based on maps from the STB website, it appears that all State roads will have a grade separated crossing and all other roads will have an at-grade crossing. The roads through the “rail port” area and part of Yellowhead Twp. have no crossing.

– We need to monitor this situation to determine how this will affect: emergency services, school bus routing, agricultural production, commuting and transportation patterns.

• What does the “rail port” mean?

– We do not know how GLBT intends to use the 15,000 acres in the “rail port” area. Based on the data we have, there are large areas of land with no identified use.

QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS (STAFF)

• We do not know what approval the project may need from the County, if any.

– Until we know more about the rail port, the County will not be able to assess its ultimate role in the approval process.

• Neither the County’s Long Range Transportation Plan (Adopted June 2015) nor its Comprehensive Plan (Adopted November 2005) considered the impacts of this project.

– This project and its potential impacts have not been studied by the County or its staff. Virtually all of the County’s adopted plans need to be revised to account for the impacts of this project.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

What can we do?

• Monitor the progress of the project and stay informed.

• Voice our concerns to the STB. We now have until July 15.

• As the project progresses, inject ourselves into the process to plan for and mitigate any impacts the project may produce.

• Begin the process of analyzing the impacts and develop a program to update our plans and regulations.

WHERE CAN YOU OBTAIN RELIABLE INFORMATION?

Information• There is a lot of information and/or misinformation on the internet

and social media sites regarding this project. The two sites below are official project sites, one from GLBT and one from STB.

• Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. – http://www.greatlakesbasin.net

• Surface Transportation Board – Project Website– http://www.greatlakesbasinraileis.com

• In addition, Kankakee County will be posting information on its website, including this presentation.– http://www.k3county.net

DISCUSSION