Canadian National Railway's proposed purchase of the 192-mile EJ&E Railway is shaping up as one of the most controversial cases in the history of the federal Surface Transportation Board.

The board has received more than 3,600 comments on Canadian National's application, according to Victoria Rutson, chief of the board's Section of Environmental Analysis.

That is believed to be the most comments received on any single case in the agency's history, Rutson told about two dozen local officials gathered Wednesday at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Portage.

Some of the comments received by the board support the purchase, including those from Illinois companies that ship by rail. But other firms such as ArcelorMittal and a host of communities stretching from Griffith to Barrington, Ill., oppose the purchase.

"I foresee 8,000-foot trains going 25 mph 34 times a day coming through Griffith," Griffith Town Councilman Stan Dobosz told Rutson. "That will kill Griffith."

Under CN's proposal, the number of trains at six crossings on the north side of town would increase to 34 per day from the current 10 run there by the EJ&E.

CN spokesman Jim Kvedaras, contacted after the meeting, said CN is continuing to meet with municipalities along the EJ&E route to discuss how to mitigate any negative effects from increased rail traffic.

"We always knew in terms of railroad acquisitions this would be a little different," Kvedaras said. "Most other acquisitions are just one railroad buying another. This one reroutes traffic, and that's the big issue."

CN wants to redirect train traffic that now goes through Chicago's urban core to the EJ&E tracks, which run through suburban communities.

The Surface Transportation Board has been conducting meetings this week with officials in Illinois and now Indiana, outlining the procedures for preparing its draft environmental impact statement.

That document will be used to prepare a final statement, which will be used by the three members of the Surface Transportation Board when they render a final verdict on the proposed purchase.

The board also could use the environmental impact statement to impose conditions on CN, such as helping fund overpasses at critical crossings.

The environmental impact statement will examine air pollution, noise and vibration, and the effect reroutes will have on local development projects such as the expansion of Gary/Chicago International Airport.

Rutson said the Surface Transportation Board plans to conduct formal open meetings later this year in communities along the EJ&E route.