By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Public Train Complaints Addressed by CP Rail Official

Aug 8, 2016 | 7:05 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Canadian Pacific Rail presented its current safety details to council on Monday, and it stirred up some questions around some community complaints.

Mayor Chris Spearman says a number of complaints have been made about loud horns, especially during the early morning hours.

As part of Transport Canada safety regulations, trains must whistle when coming to public crossings. It typically consists of two long blasts followed by a short one, and then another long whistle. Any further blasts usually signal that someone is trespassing on the tracks and must move immediately.

Spearman says there are ways to completely stop the horns in town, but it comes with some unfavourable conditions.

“The City doesn’t have the ability to govern it, unless we make specific regulations. We were told that if we made those regulations, and it is possible, then the City would have to accept full legal responsibility… If there was an accident, we would naturally be sued as part of the process, and then taxpayers would be on the hook for the cost,” Spearman explained.

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Idling was another hot topic of the meeting. Mayor Spearman posed a concern about idling near the senior’s housing complex located just off Scenic Drive, beside the tracks.

Mike LoVecchio, Director Government Affairs for CP, explained that trains are usually parked for staging purposes and may have to idle for a period of time, and it’s part of the train regular operation to charge the brakes.

At this time, Spearman says there’s not much the City can do to solve this problem, but will work with CP to manage smells and emissions, especially since LoVecchio acknowledged that train volumes are only expected to increase into the future.

Spearman went on to note that municipalities don’t have much jurisdiction over railways, and the best way to address issues is to create a co-operative agreement with the company, and continue educating residents.

Complaints can be taken directly to CP Rail through its Community Connect form, which usually results in an investigation into the specific incident, that according to LoVecchio. Residents can also reach out to their locally elected officials for further guidance.