CN will pay for a pedestrian underpass, road improvements, residential soundproofing, quiet zones, and other items, while West Chicago agrees to drop its opposition to the merger. West Chicago's City Council voted 7-6 to approve the deal, joining 10 other municipalities in Illinois and Indiana that have come to terms with the Class I railroad.

CN legally can begin increasing train frequencies over the EJ&E as of today, but the railroad has no specific plans to do so right away. "We're not ready for a rerouting announcement," CN spokesman Patrick Waldron said.