Canadian National strikes new noise abatement deal in ex-urban Chicago

CANADIAN National Railway (CN) has reached another noise abatement deal with the village of Bartlett, Illinois, 35 miles from downtown Chicago on the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E) line, which it bought to speed cargo out of the Midwestern metropolis.

CN will provide Bartlett with funding for noise mitigation and emergency training and will monitor switching activity in conjunction with another railway to minimise blockages, said a company statement.

"CN is pleased to have come to terms with the Village of Bartlett, which is the 28th agreement signed by CN with communities on the EJ&E line," said CN vice president Jim Vena, in charge of the railway's southern region.

The railway reached its first such agreement in August 2008, and has continued working with communities along the EJ&E to provide environmental mitigation tailored to each community's demands.

The release added that integration of the CN and EJ&E networks is well underway.