Tracking train troubles = timely turnarounds?
- Details
- Published on Saturday, October 3, 2015
By Sheila Runions
Banner Staff
Train traffic in Rivers has caused significant delays for years; both Rivers and Daly councils have lobbied in the past, and now Riverdale Municipality in present, to Canadian National Railway. In mid-July this reporter noticed one poster in Rivers which was a photocopy of Rail Safety rules.
The poster resembled an ordinary letter, no colour, no graphics — nothing to make it obvious and catch your attention. Its two opening lines “Canadian Rail Operation Rules, 103 Public Crossing at Grade” were bolded but not in large print. The rest of the page then reads, “d) Except at those public crossings indicated in special instruction, no part of a movement may be allowed to stand on any part of a public crossing at grade for a longer period than five minutes when vehicular or pedestrian traffic requires passage. Switching operations at such crossing must not obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic for a longer period than five minutes at a time. When emergency vehicles require passage, employees must co-operate to quickly clear the involved crossing.”
The “poster” then provided an example of what information is required by CN Police and gave contact information. It states, “IF blocked, take notes… report to CN Police and/or Rail Safety. IF you drive around the train and not report it, CN thinks there is no problem, CN thinks there is no problem, CN thinks there is no problem.”
Information requested is the date, time (24-hour clock, not a.m. and p.m.), location (144.60 Rivers Sub — the crossing west of Rivers, not the one in town), car number blocking the track, when the train stopped, when it began moving again and what time the crossing was cleared so traffic could actually move. They also ask you to do the math and tell them how many minutes the train was stopped on the tracks and for how long the crossing was blocked. You are then supposed to email information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call them at 613-998-2985. You can also call CN Police directly, at 1-800-617-6617.
Since this public posting, this reporter has kept record of her troubles with the train there (I’ve also waited in-town as well, to reach/leave the recycling depot) and on Aug. 7 a call was made to CN Police. I was told the crew was changing and nothing could be done to speed up that process; I took back roads after a 20-minute wait without action. Later that same day (when coming back home to Rivers), I was pleasantly surprised when it was exactly five minutes from the time the arms dropped to the time the arms raised when a train was passing through. On Aug. 24, it was a 23-minute wait, and the train was stopped for who knows how long before I reached the crossing. On Sept. 5 CN received many praises when after my five-minute wait, I called the toll-free number. It was a two-minute phone call while the operator checked the status of the blockage — which was the same answer as before: a crew change, nothing to do but wait. Amazingly, the train began moving in less than a minute after my phone call ended! However, the train needed four minutes to clear the crossing (now a total of 12 minutes) and again, was blocked for an unknown amount of time before I reached the flashing arms. Like Aug. 24, Sept. 13 was another 23-minute wait in mid-afternoon before those safety arms were raised so vehicles could pass.
It is known that students have been late for school because of excessive delays at the train crossing and the potential exists for disastrous results if fire and ambulance vehicles are blocked in emergent situations. Riverdale council, and their predecessors, often cited emergencies as the prime reason for clearing our crossings in a timely manner. On Sept. 16 council once again met with CN, which provided this official statement on Sept. 24: “CN is committed to working with Riverdale Municipality to minimize the impact of our operations on the community. CN has recently taken several steps to help do that, including improved communication between crews and dispatchers. CN is also adjusting the places where trains stop for crew changes. This should help reduce some of the public crossings being blocked, specifically at Highway 25.
“CN employees work hard to move our customers’ goods safely and efficiently across our network and through the communities we serve. While some circumstances like weather and mechanical failures are beyond our control, we want to assure residents that we take their concerns seriously. CN will continue to monitor the situation and work in partnership with the council of Riverdale over the coming months.”
While Riverdale Municipality will continue to report blockages to CN, if all Banner readers do the same, we may have satisfactory results much sooner than if the municipality is the lone supplier of information.
