Railroad Can Do What It Wants: Western Springs Official

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — Western Springs conducted clean-up work on railroad property after the company's recent tree removal project, which one official described as "just an awful sight."

At a Village Board last month, village officials complained about Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's removal of trees, which left mangled stumps. One trustee said residents speculated whether a tornado or train hit the trees.

During Monday's board meeting, Trustee Nicole Chen praised the village's public works crew for cleaning up the partially hacked trees in the railroad's right of way.

"Just a reminder to everybody, the BNSF owns all that land. That is all BNSF right of way. They can do what they want with that," Chen said.

The village brought the stumps to ground level, officials said. The railroad has informed Western Springs and other towns that it was removing trees because of safety concerns, with vegetation being cleared within 17 feet of the tracks.

Trustees asked whether they could landscape the area near the tracks.

Municipal Services Director Matthew Supert said the village could only do so outside the 17 feet, noting that in much of the village, the right of way is about 100 feet.

The railroad expects to remove more vegetation near the tracks within the next year, he said.

Patch has been unable to reach railroad officials for comment.