IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION supporting the efforts of the cities of Lee's Summit and Raytown, Missouri, efforts to encourage the abandonment of the inactive Old Rock Island Railroad and the denial of permission to reactivate the rail line which travels through Jackson County.
Intro
RESOLUTION 10296, April 25, 1994
INTRODUCED BY Robert E. Hertzog, Fred Arbanas, and
Mary Lou Smith, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company d/b/a Southern Pacific acquired interest in the Old Rock Island rail line around 1980 and has allowed the line to remain inactive for fourteen years; and,
WHEREAS, Missouri Pacific Railroad Company d/b/a Union Pacific desires to acquire and reactivate the rail line for service; and,
WHEREAS, the Save the Rock Island Committee (STRICT) desires to force Southern Pacific to rehabilitate the rail line and open the line for service; and,
WHEREAS, in the past fourteen years Jackson County has experienced significant residential and commercial growth along the rail line in Lee's Summit and Raytown, which is inconsistent with an active rail line; and,
WHEREAS, reactivation of the rail line would adversely affect the living environment of adjacent residential neighborhoods, the wildlife along the inactive line, and the economic vitality of development on the west side of Lee's Summit and in downtown Raytown; and,
WHEREAS, the Union Pacific has an existing alternative route which it currently uses, and has used for many years; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature urges the Interstate Commerce Commission to carefully consider the abandonment decision before it and permit the abandonment of the Southern Pacific line, and to deny any reactivation of the li e due to the impact on the environment, public safety concerns, inadequate infrastructure, the nega ive effe...
Click here for full text