Stop the whistling and protect the estuary, officials say.
The District of Squamish council wants CN Rail to cough up cash for improvements on rail crossings through town and its track through the Squamish Estuary to the Squamish Terminal.
This year, CN is set to invest approximately $1.9 billion to maintain and upgrade its railway networks, Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham noted at a council meeting on Tuesday (May 7). Backed by councillors, Kirkham said its time to suggest some of that money comes to Squamish.
Last November, a broken track pierced a locomotive's fuel tank along a section of track leading to Squamish Terminals. Approximately 5,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled onto the tracks and into the estuary. CN Rail maintains the track meets the minimum standards, Kirkham said. But given the estuary's pristine and unique habitat, Kirkham said he plans to ask that the company upgrade it to a higher standard.
Council will also request that CN Rail upgrade its rail crossings in Squamish, which would decrease train whistling in residential neighbourhoods. In turn, that would improve CN's relationship within the community, Kirkham said.
There are 10 railway crossings in Squamish.Train whistles are an ongoing complaint district officials receive from residents.
Transport Canada has a public crossing checklist that must be met to eliminate the requirement for trains to blow their whistles before passing over roadways. In 2011, municipal officials contracted R.F. Binnie and Associates to see what was needed to keep trains quiet at the Amblepath railway crossing. The report estimated that $206,000 worth of upgrades would be required at the intersection to silence the trains.
Train whistles aren't heard in the District of West Vancouver. The North Shore municipality adopted its sounding of train whistles prohibition bylaw in 1958 under the Railway Amendment Act. The act has since been repealed and superseded by the Railway Safety Act, which sets out Transport Canada's safety regulations. But the West Vancouver bylaw prohibiting the whistles remains.
Learn more about the tracks -
