PRINCETON, Iowa — The town of Princeton has become the latest in Iowa to formally oppose the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, citing concerns over blocked grade crossings, noise, and risks from derailments, among other concerns.
The Quad Cities Times reports Mayor Kevin Kernan wrote in an emailed statement that “City officials understand that the resolution holds no legal authority over the proposed merger and federal laws. We feel it is important to do our part to make an official statement in an effort to protect the livelihood of our businesses and residents.”
The CP-KCS merger application identifies CP’s Marquette Subdivision along the Mississippi River as the one that will see the greatest increase in traffic because of the merger.
Princeton (population 923 as of the 2020 census) is about 16 miles upriver from Bettendorf, one of several cities that reached agreements in which they agreed not to oppose the merger while receiving some funds from CP to address its impacts [see “CP reaches agreement with another Iowa town …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 7, 2022].
Princeton’s announcement said the town has had “great difficulty collaborating with Canadian Pacific,” citing moves by the railroad to remove grade crossings and saying it “refuses to work with the city to repair a culvert damaged by train traffic.”
Princeton, Iowa is where the CP ROW is very tightly squeezed between US-67 and right up against several homes. But Princeton has something that many small communities have lost over the years, a working industrial siding for their largest employer. I am surprised this employer still gets any service, perhaps not.
But just south of Princeton, is where the CP ROW actually goes out into the Mississippi River. The culverts on the west side of the ROW are dry today, but fill up with flood water. This is one of the service risk areas that the future CPKC will have in the future.
This sounds like the literal definition of “shooting at the sun”.
A culvert damaged by train traffic. How old is the culvert? How deep is the culvert? Is it CMP, RCP, VCP, ACP, CI, DI or HDPE? (Jargon check: Corrugated Metal Pipe, Reinforced Concrete Pipe, Vitreous Clay Pipe, Asbestos Cement Pipe, Cast Iron, Ductile Iron, High Density Polyethylene)
Sounds like more sour grapes.
In the past many towns and cities fought for rail service to come to their communities knowing that it would increase growth and development and put their location on the map. Now nobody wants trains or rail to grace their areas.
The NIMBYs are in full control now and will do anything to stop progress and growth. What is interesting, however that if a super highway or expansion of roadways is proposed, everybody is on board with that and that is far more dangerous and disruptive than a few more trains coming through the town
Joseph C. Markfelder
“noise, blocked grade crossings, and derailments” are major concerns….like all of those scenario’s doesn’t already exist there now?…. So, they have no concerns now, but add a few more trains, and wham…the whole world could collapse at any minute…Give me a break!