Expect to see more lineups at some railway crossings in Saskatoon, as CN Rail reroutes five trains per day through the city, due to construction on other lines.
CN has told city officials the additional trains will be almost twice as long as usual along the line from the north city limits to the 11th Street-area rail yard.
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That could cause delays from five to 10 minutes at each affected intersection.
One transportation expert calls it an inconvenience for drivers.
But Carl Kuhnke says delays could hinder first responders.
He fears multiple fire halls will have to be sent to a single blaze because it won’t be known if the tracks are clear.
“They’re actually going to have to be switching cars at urban locations,” said Kuhnke, who is with the Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence for Transportation and Infrastructure.
“That blocks the rail crossings potentially for a much longer period of time than if they were just rolling through.”
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Saskatoon Transit officials says there may be delays on route 9 and also on routes in the North Industrial area.
The delays are expected over the next few weeks.
The affected crossings at high-traffic intersections are:
- 71st Street
- Marquis Drive
- 51st Street
- 33rd Street
- 11th Street
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