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.”
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