By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter) with files from Lara Fominoff (@Fomsy1 on Twitter)

Trains here to stay, but waits could be reduced

Mar 17, 2017 | 11:02 AM

LETHBRIDGE – A couple of projects in the works could cut down on how long you spend waiting for trains. But in the end, the level crossings aren’t going away.

Trains that block Highway 3 and 43rd Street in particular are often a source of complaints. City of Lethbridge transportation manager Darwin Juell said he’s heard of trains stopping traffic for half an hour or longer.

“Anything less than 15 minutes, that’s part of having trains through your city,” Juell said in an interview. “Where it’s beyond 15 minutes, that’s where it’s a bit excessive.”

While there are no plans to build overpasses on 43rd Street or Highway 3, Juell hopes to reduce waits somewhat with two projects for which the city and Canadian Pacific have applied for grants from Transport Canada. One is for a $1.2 million automated switch, near 30th and 28th Streets, for trains moving between the Montana and Taber lines.

“Right now it’s a manual switch,” Juell explained. “The train has to stop at it and proceed after they switch it. An automated switch would mean it’s done automatically, much quicker, so the train doesn’t have to slow down or stop. “

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The other would link the traffic signals at 43rd Street and Highway 3 with the rail signal, to improve traffic flow, at a cost of between $300,000 and $400,000. Juell said the two projects could reduce wait times by 5-10 minutes, or 15-20 per cent.

“But that doesn’t help out anything if the train stops, backs up, goes back and forth on the track which is what I understand happens occasionally, especially on the Montana line, where the train is sitting there, not even moving,” he said. “It’s because they’re shuffling railcars back and forth. So that’s an issue that will continue.”

In an email, Canadian Pacific spokesperson Andy Cummings said the railway tries to minimize crossings, and how long they take. But there’s only so much the company can do.

“CP operates a transcontinental railway network, so a train that passes through one town at rush hour will pass through another in the middle of the night,” he said. “For this reason, it is simply not possible for us to schedule trains based upon any community’s individual needs. We are a 24/7 operation, and residents should expect train operations on any track at any time.”

Cummings added it’s against federal law for a train to block a crossing while not moving for more than five minutes under normal circumstances. The law does not apply to moving trains, however.

Juell said the situation improved considerably when the rail yards were moved out of the city to Kipp in the 1980s. But Lethbridge traffic volumes have grown since then. He said the city tries to work with the railway, but they “can’t do a lot.”

Deputy fire chief Roy Pollmuller said trains don’t cause a significant issue for emergency response, in part because the boundaries for their response districts take rail lines into account.

“I don’t have an example of a case recently where (being caught in traffic) has been an issue, remembering that all our crews are equiped with sirens, and state of the art communications systems,” he said. Emergency crews that have to travel north/south across the Taber line use the underpass on Mayor Magrath Drive, he explained.

If Transport Canada agrees to fund half the cost of the two improvements, Juell said the city and CP have their share ready to go. He expects that would happen in 2018.

In the meantime, if anyone has a serious concern, Juell advises them to call Canadian Pacific. Cummings said the railway has a toll-free Community Connect line, 1-800-766-7912, as well as an email address: community_connect@cpr.ca.