WATERLOO — The city is investigating the possibility of moving a rail yard on East Fourth Street to another location.
Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve a $22,130 contract with Via Rail Engineering, of Maribel, Wis., to evaluate the Canadian National Railway yard and switching operation.
“We will actually be looking at the potential and what it would take to relocate that rail yard out of that location to a more industrial area,” said Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson.
“The railroad is open to looking at this as an evaluation,” he added.
The rail yard, developed around 1870 by the Illinois Central Railroad, has been a source of concern for traffic and pedestrians. Located near East High School and neighborhood homes, there have been frequent issues with students and other pedestrians crawling through stopped trains.
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Two Waterloo women have pending lawsuits against the railroad after they lost limbs while trying to climb through trains blocking the road. Many other injuries have been reported over the years.
Switching operations have also caused East Fourth Street to be blocked, sometimes for up to an hour or more, creating detours and delays for motorists.
Mayor Quentin Hart called the rail yard an “age-old problem for people throughout this community.”
“We’ve had so many complaints about the railroad crossings, the railroad blocking,” Hart said. “This is an opportunity to see what it would take to make some changes.”
While it may be considered a problem now, the rail yard was a major economic development coup for Waterloo 150 years ago.
The Illinois Central was planning to move its “roundhouse” repair shop from Dubuque to Black Hawk County in 1870 with Cedar Falls being the desired location, according to historical accounts.
While Cedar Falls officials were apparently bickering over the location and incentives with the railroad, Waterloo inked its own deal with the Illinois Central for the roundhouse.
The complex grew dramatically and became the Illinois Central’s division headquarters in 1900.
While the city is paying for the cost of the feasibility study from its tax-increment financing revenue, there has been no public discussion on how any rail yard relocation would be financed if the move could be accomplished.
Canadian National spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said the railroad is always open to discussing important rail issues with municipalities.
“Rail relocation is a complex issue and potentially very expensive,” he said. “Any proposal would need careful study by many stakeholders, including rail customers and land owners.”