Protect neighborhoods, demand accountability, and push for regulatory and/or legal intervention
Citizens Against Destruction of Their Homes by Canadian Railway
Several times each night, I’m jolted awake as my bed begins to shake—violently. It’s not just the bed. The entire floor trembles, and with it, my whole house shakes as if we’re experiencing a California earthquake. This isn’t a natural disaster—it’s the result of massive Canadian National Railway (CN) freight trains barreling through Crossing #260 515D on IL Route 59 (Hough Street) at high speed. My home sits just 400 feet from the tracks, and the ground vibrations are unbearable. This level of disruption is not something anyone should have to live with.
Arthur R. — Local Resident
The rattling of my windows drives my dog crazy, causing him to be anxious and agitated, barking, etc. Also causing my dishes to shake, which are heirlooms passed down for generations.
Eric T. — Local Resident
The vibration from the trains is driving us crazy. The china rattles in the kitchen cabinets, and the entire house shakes. It’s especially bad at night—everything is quiet until a train passes by, and then my bed and the whole house start to tremble. It’s deeply disruptive and impossible to ignore.
Ian V. — Local Resident
CN is Destroying Our Community
Destruction To Our Homes
Destruction To Our Businesses
Destruction To Our Infrastructure
Not an Ordinary Crossing
This specific location is not an ordinary crossing. It is a rare and dangerous convergence point where CN’s freight rail line intersects with Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line, creating intense ground vibration when high-speed trains pass through.
This vibration:
- Shakes homes, beds, and cabinets.
- Cracks foundations, walls, and porches.
- Disrupts the lives of residents and damages local businesses.
- Forces families to leave the community they once loved.
The current FRA-approved speed limit of 45 mph is unsafe and incompatible with the residential and rail-interchange character of this neighborhood. We demand an immediate review of this speed limit and ask for the speed to be reduced to a maximum of 25 mph at and near the crossing # 260 515D .
We, the undersigned residents, business owners, and community members, urge the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Canadian National Railway (CN) to reduce the speed limit of trains passing through Crossing #260 515D at IL Route 59 (Hough Street) in Barrington, IL to 25 mph. Excessive vibration from high-speed train traffic is damaging nearby homes, businesses, and community wellbeing. We request immediate intervention.
