Community reacts to Canadian Pacific merger

CAMANCHE, LECLAIRE and PRINCETON, Iowa (KWQC) - Two years ago the process of combining Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railways was in early discussions, and now has become a reality.

Following the merger of two major railways, many businesses in the Quad Cities area are concerned for the future with transportation via railways becoming more frequent.

“CP/KCS expects to make (and attract) investments that spawn new economic activity, and new rail traffic. One illustration of this opportunity is our expectation that new single-line CP/KCS offerings will support investment in efficient new rail-served grain elevators in the growing region of Southeastern Iowa,” said Canadian Pacific President Keith Creel. “The prospect of reaching KCS-served receivers in the United States and Mexico via new single-line routes would unlock better and more economic rail service that would support extensive new investment and tap new, more competitive origin markets. "

This merger allows for more supplies moving from Canada, Mexico and the United States, at roughly 64,000 truckloads yearly, according the the Surface Transportation Board. The Board also breaks down how transporting cargo by train will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide by about 127 tons per year.

Canadian Pacific officials say that while the merger provides an economic boost in raw material acquisition, and helps reduce our overall carbon footprint, it’s also causing concerns for local communities that are built around the railways.

“We asked them for the potential of a pedestrian bridge, so if all the crossings are blocked, at least we can get some emergency personnel over there with the equipment to be able to administer first aid to somebody right away. Those requests were deemed insignificant by the railway,” said Camanche City Administrator Andrew Kida.

The City of Camanche, along with the City of Princeton, still oppose the merger of Canadian Pacific due to the potential for public safety to be at risk.

“With the trains being like a mile long, this could take a lot of time to adjust, and it’s a huge problem for our emergency vehicles,” said the City of Princeton’s Mayor Kevin Kernan.

According to Kansas City Southern’s website, the two companies will officially merge on April 14, creating the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway.

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