Permit Denied For Controversial Rail Line Through Rock County

A plan to build a rail line that would begin in Rock County and eventually make its way around Chicago is dead for now. The federal Surface Transportation Board denied the application in a ruling Thursday. Television station W-K-O-W reports that the plan was vehemently opposed by landowners along the route who organized a group called Rock Against the Rail. Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Incorporated planned to construct and operate the 261-mile rail line that would extend from Pinola, Indiana through Illinois to a point near Milton, Wisconsin and would connect with existing Class I and short line railroads. Among the reasons for denying the application was the group’s lack of financial resources. Because the Board rejected Great Lakes Basin Transportation’s application, the board also discontinued the environmental review process associated with the proposed project.