Durbin, Krishnamoorthi call on federal board to delay merger between Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., calls on the Surface Transportation Board to delay its decision on whether to approve a merger between Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern until the Chicago area can assess how it would be impacted. (Manny Ramos/Sun-Times.)

A merger between two large freight railroad companies could potentially spell disaster for the Chicago area if allowed to go through unchecked, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., warned on Tuesday.

“Railroads are an important part of our lives and our economy,” Durbin said. “But we got to make certain that as we look to the future of these railroads that we consider the people who are affected by it.”