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92_SR0035
LRB9207491RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, In the development of the American railway
3 system most railroads had routes to and from Chicago; and
4 WHEREAS, The Chicago area is still the key railroad
5 network hub for most North American railroads; and
6 WHEREAS, Chicago's role as the central hub of the North
7 American rail freight industry has been magnified by recent
8 mergers within the railroad industry; and
9 WHEREAS, Today, within the Chicago area, there are over
10 700 miles of mainline tracks that carry more than 1,100
11 trains going through the area daily; and
12 WHEREAS, The Chicago area is also criss-crossed by the
13 operation of local, commuter, and inter-city passenger
14 trains; and
15 WHEREAS, There are no federal or State laws restricting
16 train lengths and, according to industry sources, coal trains
17 can be up to 150 cars long; and
18 WHEREAS, This tremendously high number of trains has
19 resulted in severe problems with trains blocking grade
20 crossings for significant periods of time; and
21 WHEREAS, This blocking of grade crossings has endangered
22 the ability of police officers, ambulance drivers, and fire
23 fighters to perform their duties; and
24 WHEREAS, In addition to the constant and aggravating
25 inconvenience these crossing blockages cause to motorists,
26 there are reports that school children, fearing they will be
27 late for school, are crawling underneath these trains while
28 the trains are blocking intersections; therefore, be it
29 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
-2- LRB9207491RHrh
1 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is created the
2 Grade Crossing Obstruction Task Force consisting of 5 members
3 of the Senate, with 3 members and the chairman appointed by
4 the President of the Senate and 2 members appointed by the
5 Minority Leader of the Senate; all members shall serve
6 without compensation; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study various issues
8 relating to frequency and duration of grade crossing
9 blockages and the effectiveness of the railroad industry's
10 attempts to deal with this serious problem; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet at the call of
12 the Chairman, shall hold public hearings, shall receive the
13 assistance of legislative staff, and shall report its
14 findings and recommendations to the Senate on or before
15 January 31, 2002; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That upon filing its report the Task Force is
17 dissolved.