WASHINGTON — Metra has asked federal regulators to force Canadian Pacific to hand over more documents that would help it evaluate how the proposed CP-Kansas City Southern merger may affect commuter service in the Chicago area.
Metra, in a filing with the Surface Transportation Board, said CP omitted necessary documents, provided dated versions of other documents, and in other cases has shared information in computer formats that the commuter agency cannot use to judge CP’s traffic and capacity analysis.
“CP’s refusal to provide the documents Metra has requested seriously jeopardize Metra’s ability to adequately review and respond to the impacts of the proposed transaction by the Board’s deadline of Feb. 28, 2022,” Metra said in a Dec. 31 filing.
Metra owns the routes used by its Milwaukee District-North and Milwaukee District-West lines, over which CP operates freight service. CP dispatches both lines.
In its merger application, CP projects that the average number of trains per day over the MD-West Line will rise to 11 from three. CP says there’s “ample capacity” on the MD-W line and that “Metra service will not be adversely affected” by increases in freight traffic after the KCS merger.
But Metra says it has a duty to independently evaluate CP’s assessment. Metra is asking the STB to force CP to provide track charts; station name and location information; track elevation, curvature, and grade data; speed limits; track schematics covering grade crossings and interchange locations; rail weight, turnout sizes, and switch and signal data; and yard configurations.
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