Anti-railroad organizing

LUI KIT WONG/THE NEWS TRIBUNE. Jennifer Justice of Lakewood opposes upgrading the railroad tracks, which now limit freight trains to speeds of 10 to 15 mph. I-5 is visible at right.

Plans for increased commuter rail in Greater Tacoma, Washington ("Lakewood gets ready for a lot more rail" from the Tacoma News-Tribune) and for the creation of a "railroad bypass" (like an automobile-oriented town highway bypass) of Chicago by Canadian National's acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad (see "Barrington hopes to put brakes on CN deal" from the Chicago Tribune and the organizational website TRAC - The Regional Answer to Canadian National) has spurred anti-rail organizing.

I can understand the issue of railroad noise and frequent street closure. The latter is an issue in Prince George's County, where a bridge is being constructed over State Route 450 because of the frequent closures. My own experience is that trains are relatively quiet, EXCEPT when they blow their horns. And of course, the closer you live to tracks, the more noise there is. See "CSX railroad bridge project in Bladensburg making steady progress" from the Gazette.