Durbin seeks probe of pollution at rail stations

Associated Press

CHICAGO--U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called on Monday for the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate reports that toxic diesel pollution is inundating commuter rail cars and Chicago's two major rail stations.

He is also asking for increased funding to upgrade aging equipment used by mass transit systems in Chicago and other cities.

Durbin made the requests in response to reports that lingering diesel soot increases as Metra commuters walk deeper into Union Station or the Ogilvie Transportation Center. The two stations are used by more than 200,000 people every work day.

The Chicago Tribune reports that pollution levels are higher on platforms, where diesel exhaust hovers between Metra trains.

Tests conducted for the Tribune also found that as a train leaves the station, the air trapped inside passenger cars contains levels of diesel soot up to 72 times higher than on streets outside.

Studies have linked exposure to diesel exhaust to a variety of health problems, including cancer and heart attacks.

Metra officials say they are doing their best to mitigate pollution on a limited budget. They point out locomotives push train cars into the station so the engines stay closer to the outside air. They add that new technology will allow some locomotives to shut down engines automatically after a certain period to reduce idling and save fuel.

The Tribune reports that in reaction to the newspaper's findings, Metra has scheduled a meeting Tuesday with federal, state and local officials.

Durbin is urging the EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and two federal transportation agencies to assess health risks caused by breathing high levels of diesel exhaust.

"I feel it is important for the EPA to immediately review their past findings regarding the air quality in and around passenger trains and analyze the Tribune's new findings," Durbin wrote in a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that was released Monday.

In his letter, Durbin noted underinvestment in the nation's passenger rail systems has meant that more public transportation systems are running older and less efficient equipment.

Instead of replacing its locomotives with newer, cleaner models, Metra is refurbishing its aging fleet to keep locomotives operating another two decades.