It is a frustration likely every Squamish local has experienced: getting stuck behind a train when trying to get to or from downtown Squamish for a meeting, to meet a friend or pick up a child from daycare.
David St. Luke was so frustrated by trains blocking the entrance to Squamish three Saturday afternoons in a row that he wrote to council asking them to do something about it.
“They have been there between 3:35 to 4:20 [p.m.] the last three Saturdays,” he said in his letter. “Shunting cars and just sitting there, blocking the tracks.”
“I have nothing against the trains going back and forth – fine – but we’ve got to sit on the tracks at three o’clock on a Saturday when everybody is downtown and there is no other way out of there?”
Luke suggested the train schedule be changed so shunting is done after 10 p.m. He also said an overpass should be built so traffic could be rerouted to avoid the trains.
“As Squamish grows, this will have to be done eventually,” he said on Saturday while standing on the tracks surveying the traffic coming into downtown for the Squamish Wind Festival at the intersection of Buckley and Cleveland avenues.
Council addressed the issues of traffic being blocked by trains at its July 21 meeting. Councillor Susan Chapelle said she arrived late to a recent council meeting because she was stuck behind shunting trains.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said she has heard many complaints from the public about the stopped trains.
Heintzman said that often, trains sit for five minutes, then move an inch and sit another five minutes, all the while blocking traffic.
“In a community like ours that has areas that have one way in and one way out, like our downtown, like various neighbourhoods, it is very concerning,” she said, adding she and council would follow up with the rail company.
Canadian National Railway runs the trains that travel across the entrance to downtown.
“The Canadian Rail Operating rule 103 states that no part of a train or engine may stand on any part of a public crossing for longer than five minutes when vehicular or pedestrian traffic requires passage; however, this does not apply to moving trains,” wrote Emily Hamer, CN regional manager of public and government affairs, in response to The Squamish Chief’s request for comment.
“We will continue discussions with municipal officials regarding the District of Squamish’s concerns pertaining to blocked crossings in Squamish.”
A follow-up request asking for confirmation of how long the trains actually sat at the downtown location was not answered.
In addition to the five-minute rule, Transport Canada requires emergency vehicles be immediately given safe passage.
A spokesperson for Transport Canada said the organization would look into the concerns in Squamish.
“If an inspection reveals that a company is not following the rules, Transport Canada does not hesitate to take appropriate action, which is based on the severity of the safety issue and can involve one or more of several compliance and enforcement tools,” Sarah Johnston, regional communications officer from Transport Canada, said in a statement.
