City of Edmonton to review train whistles at railway crossings

The City of Edmonton will soon start a study that will look at whether blaring train whistles could become a thing of the past for some residents.

The city recently released a request for proposals, RFP, for a consultant to conduct a train whistle cessation study.

The study was spurred by Councillor Bev Esslinger after residents approached her about trains whistling at crossings, particularly during the night, which they said affected their sleep, work and general day-to-day living. It is the result of a motion from an October 28 Transportation Committee meeting.

“We’ve heard from residents in some neighbourhoods that they’re having a large number of whistles from trains interrupting their children’s sleep, interrupting their sleep and they wanted it to stop,” Esslinger said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We've heard from residents in some neighbourhoods that they're having a large number of whistles from trains interrupting their children's sleep, interrupting their sleep and they wanted it to stop," Esslinger said.

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Esslinger said the study is important as the city continues to expand.

“They’ve been coming forward as the community has developed in my ward in particular. As the community as grown out, we’ve grown near train lines and so it’s important for us now that there’s people there. They’re affected,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They've been coming forward as the community has developed in my ward in particular. As the community as grown out, we've grown near train lines and so it's important for us now that there's people there. They're affected," she said.

The consultant will look at 16 railway crossings in the city, one of which falls under provincial jurisdiction, and review the crossings for a whistle cessation application to Transport Canada.

Transport Canada’s Rail Operating Rules require trains to whistle when approaching a crossing maintained by the road authority and designed for public use. However that requirement can be removed if the municipality and the railway seek an exemption from Transport Canada.

Some of the crossings on the list have white railway crossing signs but no flashing lights; others have flashing lights and or flashing gates but do not have whistle cessation in place.

A previous report to council said that crossings with flashing lights, bells and gates should not require any additional improvements while those without all three would require upgrades. It could cost between $1.5 and $2.5 million to upgrade all the sites in the study.

“That would be something we budget for. But we don’t know what that is so we’re going to figure out what that is that’s going to be required then we’ll figure out how much it will cost and go towards council to look at the budget,” Esslinger said.

The review will focus on vehicle and train operations, the identification of existing conditions, road geometry, sightlines, signage and warning system specifications. The consultant will be required to conduct a field review of each location and take notes, photos and measurements.

The RFP states cessation will be considered for the locations based on mitigation treatments and costs required to meet the cessation requirements.

However, a previous report to council states that, even if upgrades are recommended, rail companies would still need to complete the design and construction of the upgrades, therefore a timeline is unknown.

The procedure for whistle cessation involves multiple steps including the municipality consulting with the railway company, the municipality and railway company agreeing the crossing meets the cessation requirements, the municipality passing a resolution that a whistle should not be used, the railway company notifying Transport Canada, and the municipality and railway company sharing the responsibility of monitoring and maintaining the conditions to support whistle cessation.

The study is expected to start mid-August.