Princeton Iowa USA - Princeton City Council added its voice to those formally opposing a merger between two North American rail companies.
 
The city of just under 1,000 people sits along the riverfront, and the railroad tracks bisect the town.
 
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern are seeking federal approval to merge to form what the companies bill as a more efficient, single company owned rail track connecting Mexico to Canada.
 
The companies expect to attract much more freight traffic.
 
In effect, the companies have told federal regulators they expect to triple the amount of train traffic by 2027 on tracks from Sabula, Iowa, to Kansas City, Missouri, including along the riverfront of Scott County.
 
In its resolution, Princeton lays out many similar concerns as to other riverfront towns, such as Camanche, train derailments, noise, and blocked crossings imperiling emergency access.
 
"City officials understand that the resolution holds no legal authority over the proposed merger and federal laws. We feel it is important to do our part to make an official statement in an effort to protect the livelihood of our businesses and residents," Princeton Mayor Kevin Kernan said in an emailed statement.
 
The statement described city officials and residents having experienced "great difficulty collaborating with CP."
 
"In recent years, CP has removed crossings without notifying the directly impacted businesses and refuses to work with the city to repair a culvert damaged by train traffic," the news release states.
 
CP has come to settlement agreements with several larger Quad-Cities, including Davenport, Bettendorf, Muscatine, and LeClaire.
 
Other smaller cities, such as Princeton, have said they feel railroaded by CP.
 
In Camanche, for example, the city administrator has said he and the council didn't feel the company had offered nearly enough to adequately address the concerns the city held.
 
CP representatives have pointed to permanent jobs its bringing to the Quad-Cities and overall expected environmental benefits of attracting freight from semitrailers on the road as benefits of the proposed merger.
 
Sarah Watson.