Klobuchar, Kline tackle idle trains in Lakeville
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Representative John Kline (Lakeville) called on the Surface Transportation Board to press Progressive Rail to find a solution for the empty rail cars parked in Lakeville, according to a press release from Klobuchar’s office.
Pam Steinhagen stands in her backyard, just feet from where a train car used to haul ethanol has been parked. (File photo)
In a joint letter to the Board, Klobuchar and Kline wrote: “The storage of these rail cars has caused adjacent residential property owners to express concerns regarding negative effects on their homes and the general welfare of the community. We request your assistance in facilitating a resolution to this ongoing impasse.”
Progressive Rail of Lakeville began storing the empty rail cars on freight tracks in Lakeville in 2009. Owner Dave Fellon said the economic downturn led to his having to park them along tracks in neighborhoods.
The company has been under pressure from local advocacy groups, residents and city officials to find an alternative.
Sun Thisweek will have more on this story as we gather more information.
The full text of the letter is below:
July 5, 2012
The Honorable Daniel R. Elliott III
Chairman, Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20423
Dear Chairman Elliott:
As you continue your work to resolve railroad rate and service disputes, we want to bring to your attention an ongoing dispute involving a rail company, the City of Lakeville, and its residents. We request your assistance in facilitating a resolution to this ongoing impasse.
Progressive Rail – a contract rail carrier that operates nearly 80 miles of line in the Twin Cities area – has been storing inactive rail cars on the City of Lakeville’s freight railroad tracks for several years due to the continued economic downturn. The storage of these rail cars has caused adjacent residential property owners to express concerns regarding negative effects on their homes and the general welfare of the community.
City officials and local residents have repeatedly asked Progressive Rail officials to be more courteous to the community in which they operate and relocate the rail cars to a different location or limit the number of cars stored. The City of Lakeville has held a number of public meetings and ultimately passed a resolution requesting federal action to limit the storage of rail cars in or adjacent to urbanized residential areas.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter of critical concern to my constituents. We look forward to continuing to work with you on this important issue. For further questions or additional follow up, please contact Yelena Vaynberg with Congressman Kline at yelena.vaynberg@mail.house.gov or Travis Talvitie with Senator Klobuchar at travis_talvitie@klobuchar.senate.gov.
After three years….it’s about time.
My questions to The owner of those rail cars would be what if someone gets hurt on one of those empty cars. I guess kids play and what if a child got hurt or something happened to one of the cars like vandalism, fire, people throwing rocks through the windows. I know if a property owner has a empty house the insurance rates go way up if the house sits empty, does it work the same for trains, or busses that are parked and sit empty as well. I guess my feeling as a citizen would be the owner would be paying money to move the trains to another area of the track that maybe they could lock the trains up somewhere. I know it would cost money to move them but I would think it would be costing him a lot of money in Insurance policy’s to keep the where they are. Maybe this question has already been answered.
It’s all about money. Progressive Rail is making money off these stored railcars and I don’t think it really matters to them if people trespass…if someone gets hurt, well, they were trespassing, so it’s their own fault. They won’t move the railcars because they don’t have to. This is the same company that was fined for environmental violations in MN & WI that occurred in 2005, 2008 & 2011. You have to understand, the railroads do not operate under the same rules that you and I do. They clearly haven’t learned any lessons.
Quit whining about the rail cars. I think they are cool and I enjoy seeing them each morning and evening. They aren’t hurting you and you don’t have to worry about getting hit by the trais because they barely move compared to four years ago. Be thankful!
Love the Water, we value your opinion, as long as you’re aware that it is just your opinion and you are most likely in a very small minority. Also, this stretch of tracks is a dead end for PGR, they are very dilapidated, and are not capable of sustaining traffic of more than 10mph. I’ve lived in my current home for about 10 years and four years ago no trains were running on this track. SInce you ‘Love the water’, are you also aware that this company was fined for envirionmental violations near storm drains and wetlands in MN & WI in 2005, 2008 & 2011? That’s right, PGR’s hazmat could end up in the ground water, a wetland or a lake near you. But quit whining and be thankful:)