April 30th, 2007
Railway Safety Act Review Secretariat
To whom it may concern
We live in Kamloops B.C. in a subdivision called Rayleigh.. The C.N. Railway runs thru the subdivision.
Six years ago we tried to get something done in regards to excessive speeds, ground vibration and extreme noise. Since then the train lengths have increased, needing more
power and creating an even larger problem
We contacted the C.N.R. and our Member of Parliament Betty Hinton, at which time we were given a few contact phone numbers for particular depts. at C.N.R.
After trying for a year to contact someone at C.N.R., Graham Dawson of the C.N.R. agreed to attend a meeting that would be held in Rayleigh. No firm date for the meeting was given. Future attempts to contact Mr. Dawson to set a date were not responded too, although we tried by telephone, e-mail and fax.
Train lengths started out at 80 to 100 cars in 1999. They have increased to 150 cars and on up to 200 plus in length. The dynamics changed, adding more cars, more engines increasing the noise and vibration. Open hopper cars sound like a deep drum roar, cars wheels are out of round, this all contributes to the over all noise and vibration. The speed at which the trains travel through the subdivision is also an issue. Another fact is that when a train is traveling through our subdivision all exits in and out of the area are blocked. This raises a major concern in regards to fire and ambulance access to our subdivision.
Train lengths should be reduced back to 80 to 100 cars. The terrain in B.C. is very different from Alberta and Saskatchewan and this has to be taken into consideration.
Rail cars that need repair should be bad ordered. Most of the lines need ballast. Water channel crossings under tracks are not maintained.
Derailments are caused by the lack of maintenance, upgrade work and excessive speed.
Train speeds through subdivisions should be lowered to 25 M.P.H. as in other subdivisions in Kamloops. This would help cut back on the noise and ground vibrations.. Train crews are paid by the trip from point A to point B contributing to excessive speeds. There appears to be no policing of railway speeds.
A railway accident could be devastating if it happened in a subdivision. C.N.Rail has a very bad record at this point in regards to rail accidents and it is only a matter of time before one occurs in a populated area.
C.N. Rail requires more policing on the part of the govt. as in safety regulations, train lengths, rail bed maintainance and speed. .
Thank you
Jerry Ofukany