Stop The Train is home to the wide coalition of those opposed to the Canadian Pacific Railway + Kansas City Southern Railway merger. This is a 31 BILLION DOLLAR merger creating a monopolized route (a virtual pipeline) from Canada through the United States and into Mexico.
The merger will more than triple the train traffic on the existing United States railway lines, thus tripling the wear and tear on those existing lines, thus tripling the already high risk of a derailment.
The merger will increase the average train length to 2.5 miles per train. The substantially increased train traffic + increased average train length will create a virtual bumper-to-bumper, non-stop train situation.
The trains transport dry goods as well as a large volume of hazardous materials such as tar oil. This hazardous material is transported in large, heavy tanker cars. This greatly heightens the risk of injury not only to our environment via a derailment and spill but also carries a serious threat to the life of citizens who live, work, walk, and enjoy their communities near the existing railways.
Virtually NO notice of the proposed merger was provided to residents and businesses who will be most negatively impacted by the merger. Even citizens and businesses who live or operate adjacent to these railways were not provided notice of any kind. In many cases, a landowner may own all the land surrounding the railway — the railway running through it — and still, no notice of the proposed merger was provided.
Canadian Pacific Railways worked behind the scenes and paid off as many municipalities who would accept the payoff. They picked them off one by one so the towns would not consolidate and fight the merger. They issued a very short “take it or leave it” window so the towns felt high pressure to accept the payoff. They sold the false notion that “there is nothing you can do about this so take this money and be quiet.” In all cases, the payoff amounts will not scratch the surface in covering the cost to these communities. Some communities will never recover.
The profits of this proposed merger will materialize in Canada. The risk, the damage, the fallout, the COST happens here in the United States — in my and your hometowns.
However, we CAN do something about this. Because we are strong, we are powerful, we matter. We can say NO. We can demand better — for our communities, for our families, for ourselves, for our environment, and for our country.
Sign the petition, share the petition, and ask others to sign it. It is written to the Chairman and Members of the Surface Transportation Board who is the governing body over railways. You can read it below, and sign it here.
The Petition
Dear Chairman Martin J. Oberman and Members Patrick J. Fuchs, Michelle A. Schultz, Robert E. Primus, and Karen J. Hedlund of the Surface Transportation Board:
I respectfully request that you reject the proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS) by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) in Docket No. FD 36500.
I implore you to put the best interest of my fellow signors and me, above that of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railways.
I am, and my fellow petitioners are, United States of America citizens who value small town America, which is severely compromised and negatively impacted by the proposed railway merger.
The proposed CP / KCS merger will at least triple the train traffic through my hometown and will devastate the quality of life in our communities on a daily, annual, and forever basis.
In practical usage and environmental impact, the proposed CP / CPS merger is simply a railway iteration of the formerly proposed, and thankfully abandoned, Keystone Pipeline.
For the sake of our children, our towns, and our country, please vote NO and reject the merger.
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