The most recent article in The Daily Herald out of Chicago (Larry provided it in 9/5 Newsline, also here) has several "blog" posts from regular readers opposed to the transaction who continue to advocate for a "far-western" bypass of the EJ&E as an alternative to buying it and running more trains. Quite hypocritical of a western-suburb-dweller to advocate buying farmland and building an entirely new railroad even farther west so trains don't come through their city, don't you think?

Even the economics don't make sense...How many miles of track would CN be able to build through the farmland for the same $300 million purchase price? Don't people realize that trains carry goods and or raw materials for the things they buy? Why aren't the same people railing against their local politician and / or (lack of) city planners for making so many communities "with 90 bus routes crossing the tracks every day", or fire stations only on one side of the tracks.