The first local politician has picked up the issue of more trains through the southern Lake County- Barrington area on the EJ&E Railroad.

That’s because the Canadian National has bought the short line, which basically rings Chicago.

They did so, as explained in this McHenry County Blog article of September 28th, because of the tremendous bottleneck in Chicago.

Quoting CN President Hunter Harrison, the Tribune reported,

”It now takes longer to go from North to South Chicago than it does to go from Winnipeg to Chicago.”

Robert Abboud is village president of Barrington Hills. He is running as the Democratic Party candidate against Republican Don Manzullo.

In a Northwest Herald article by Regan Foster Abboud pointed out that Barrington Hills has 6½ miles of EJ&E track in his community.

From complaints I got from track side homeowners when Metra Chairman Jeff Ladd was pushing passenger service on that line, I can tell you that Abboud will have a lot of very unhappy constituents.

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Both Congressman Don Manzullo, on the left, and his Democratic Party challenger Robert Abboud, on the right, both seem to be talking simultaneously. The photo was taken next to the old Algonquin Village Hall when Manzullo first called out Governor Rod Blagojevich for coming up with money to match the money Manzullo got inserted into the federal budget over the years.