The railway crossing on De Courcelle and Acorn streets in Montreal’s Saint-Henri neighbourhood is a trouble spot for police.
It is located in the centre of the bustling residential area, with many pedestrians and motorists passing through it.
As part of Rail Safety Week, CN officers across the country will be conducting safety initiatives at commuter stations and crossings.
CN officials in Montreal say they’re paying particular attention to the crossing in Saint-Henri.
In January, a 23-year-old woman was hospitalized after being struck by a train at the crossing.
READ MORE: Woman hospitalized after being hit by train in Montreal
CN said it has recently installed new security measures.
“We have great police officers at CN,” said CN police chief Stephen Covey.
“One in particular, who actually took this one on as a project, worked very closely with the borough, with the city and with CN in order to bring all the right partners together in order to upgrade this crossing and to make it as safe as possible.”
CN said it has installed fences around the rail crossing, though some residents say more still needs to be done.
“Obviously, there are not many fences around here,” said Saint-Henri resident Michael Leblanc.
“I don’t know know if they’re going to put some. I think it’s definitely lack luster in terms of security.”
Other residents say there’s only so much CN can do.
“I’ve seen people, they see the train coming, they don’t want to wait, so they jump under the thing and they take a risk,” said resident Donald Roy. “It’s foolish.”
READ MORE: Man hit by train at AMT Île-Perrot station
CN hopes to help people understand the risks of trespassing on railway tracks.
“Unfortunately, in 2016, there were more deaths as a result of those incidences than usual. We had 65 fatalities,” said Covey.
“When you think about it, that’s more than one a week.”
Last year, there were over 200 accidents as a result of trespassing and crossing over railways in Canada – resulting in dozens of deaths.
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