Office of the City Clerk - Record #: R2015-829

• Record #: R2015-829
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Failed to Pass
• Intro date: 10/21/2015
• Current Controlling Legislative Body: Committee on Health and Environmental Protection
• Title: Call for U.S. Congress and Illinois General Assembly to take action to ensure railroads are sufficiently regulated regarding amelioration of nusiance conditions on property and in connection with railroad operations
• Sponsors: Villegas, Gilbert, O'Shea, Matthew J., Ramirez-Rosa, Carlos, Waguespack, Scott, Willie B. Cochran, Sposato, Nicholas, Reboyras, Ariel, Taliaferro, Chris, Moreno, Proco Joe, Maldonado, Roberto, Laurino, Margaret, Solis, Daniel, Scott, Jr. Michael, Mitts, Emma, Munoz, Ricardo, Quinn, Marty, Foulkes, Toni, Moore, David H., Curtis, Derrick G., Zalewski, Michael R., Lopez, Raymond A.
• Related files: R2019-362

Date	Journal Page Number	Action By	Action	Result
5/29/2019		City Council	Failed to Pass
10/21/2015	11222	City Council	Referred

I ' i) r c n i
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Unsafe, unattractive and bothersome conditions on railroad property are a continuing source of frustration for Chicago residents and for their aldermen, who on a daily basis field many complaints from residents upset by overgrown vegetation on railroad property, unreasonably long obstructions of crossings at grade, delayed access to emergency services at such crossings, excessive train idling, diesel fuel emissions and other problems; and
WHEREAS, Chicago is the most important railroad center in North America. More lines of track radiate in more directions from Chicago than from any other city in the United States. Chicago is the hub of our Nation's freight network, and ranks second only to New York City with respect to the volume of commuter rail passengers carried each day. Rail lines cross roadways at numerous points in Chicago, and are an integral and visible part of our communities; and
WHEREAS, Due to the number, type and scope of various Federal and State preemptions that restrict the ability of local municipalities to regulate rail carriers by ordinance, Chicagoans are at the mercy of railroad companies, and the Federal and State administrative bodies charged with responsibility for overseeing them, to ensure that railroad property is properly maintained; that railroad crossings do not block vehicular and pedestrian traffic for unreasonably long periods of time; that locomotives spend as little time as possible idling; and that the noise produced by trains does not constantly disrupt the peace and tranquility of surrounding neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, At the Federal level, rail carriers are governed by several statutes, the bulk of which are administered by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation through various regulatory bodies, including the Federal Railroad Safety Act, administered through the Federal Railroad Administration; Hazardous Material Transportation Act (HMTA), administered through the Pipeline and Hazardous Ma...