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CN recently agreed to provide preserve facilities and land enhancements worth more than $3.1 million to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County in exchange for the use of a five-acre parcel of district-owned land.

The Class I, which acquired the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co. in 2009, plans to use the parcel for staging material and equipment while crews improve track and complete connections.

"CN needed access and room to efficiently perform the work," said D. "Dewey" Pierotti Jr., the district's president, in a prepared statement. "Our negotiations with CN generated a proposal that will not only help enhance our facilities, but will also modernize a stretch of tracks to help ensure the safety of all citizens."

After the trackwork is completed, CN plans to restore the site and perform wetland mitigation and habitat improvements. Per the agreement, the railroad also will fund the design and construction of two new recreational facilities for the district. Work is slated to start this year and conclude in fall 2014.

"CN is investing millions of dollars not only in the modernization and rehabilitation of its tracks, but also in the restoration of the area's natural environment," said Pierotti.