Trains, trains everywhere; Winnipeggers annoyed by long waits at train crossings

WINNIPEG — It’s an annoyance drivers can’t seem to avoid while navigating the streets around Winnipeg.

Multiple times a day, hundreds of drivers sit idle waiting for trains to cross at busy intersections.

“It’s terrible,” said one driver stuck on Waverley Street and Taylor Avenue Thusday afternoon. “This morning I waited here, I don’t know, probably 10 or 15 minutes. One this way and one that way.”

On Waverley alone, roughly 30,000 vehicles cross over the train tracks everyday, according to the city’s Traffic Count Program numbers from 2012. Between 40 and 50 Canadian National (CN) trains pass through that area each day; which means every time there is a delay in the flow of traffic.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It’s a pain. It costs money to sit here if you’re working,” said another driver. “We’re just a couple working guys, so it’s costing us money to sit here doing a whole lot of nothing.”

Top 5 busiest rail lines in Winnipeg:

• CNR Redditt (runs along Dugald Road: 50+ trains per day
• CNR Rivers (runs along Taylor Avenue): 40-50 trains per day
• CNR Sprague (exits Symington Yards to the South): 20+ trains per day
• CPR Carberry (separates the North End from the West End): at least 20 trains per day
• CPR Keewatin (runs through Elmwood): at least 20 trains per day

Source: January 12, 2016 Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development report

The trains in these areas can reach speeds of up to 60 km/hr depending on the route. While the railways are are important in moving commodities across the country, for drivers who are stuck at a crossroads it means dollars lost.

“It’s a pain. We’re just a couple working guys so it’s costing us money to sit here doing a whole lot of nothing,” said one man. “What else is new? It’s the old hurry up and wait.”

On top of the frustration many drivers are feeling, others are fearful of having the railway lines so close to homes and businesses and in the heart of the city. Every day more than 400 rail cars carrying hazardous materials roll through the city.