INNISFAIL – The town has now taken a decisive step towards creating a safe pedestrian railway crossing and ending aggravating train horns blasting daily through the community.
Town council unanimously approved a motion at it regular meeting on Nov. 23 to move forward with both initiatives. The town will now spend $75,000 to end train whistles (horns) through town at seven different crossings. Council then passed a second motion to spend another $450,000 to complete the pedestrian crossing, along with another $150,000 to complete a paved trail to the site, located between 47 Street and 54 Avenue.
Council was told construction of the rail crossing and pathway is anticipated to begin next June and completed in August, while the train whistles will end in town once final notifications are completed to all relevant associations or organizations and Transport Canada's Safety Directorate headquarters.
"I know a lot of people in town will be glad to see this," said mayor Jim Romane of the passed motion to proceed with the railway crossing.
The controversial rail safety issue has been festering in the town since late 2018, with it reaching a crisis point in the late spring of 2019 when CP Rail officials attended local schools to urgently address their concerns to the young.
Local RCMP and Town of Innisfail officials, as well as parents, were increasingly alarmed at the growing numbers of high-risk activities, including games of "chicken" with trains, reported around the well-used, unregulated White Rock Crossing, just west of the Innisfail Schools Campus near the intersection of 52nd and 54th avenues.
In recent weeks, Coun. Gavin Bates has pushed council and administration to not let the whistle cessation issue fall by the wayside, and he convinced staff to ensure the $75,000 was included in the 2021 capital budget.
“In all the discussions that has been had, through the byelection and everything else I never heard anybody approach me personally and say they didn’t want to proceed with this,” said Bates on the train whistle cessation issue. Council was told in a report that no comments were received against whistle cessation, while one comment supported it.
Before council passed the two resolutions, Steven Kennedy, the town’s director of operation services, presented reports on both issues.
Kennedy recommended train whistles should not be used at seven crossings - Cottonwood Road, Highway 54, 42nd Street, 50th Street, 49th Avenue, 44th Avenue and 42nd Avenue.
Council was told the $75,000 cost to upgrade the 42nd Avenue crossing to install gate arms could be added to the 2021 capital budget and funded from the General Capital Reserves.
Kennedy said in his report that while the Cottonwood Road crossing was included in the town’s assessment, it is not within the town boundary. He said Red Deer County has been notified and he’s waiting for a response to see if the rural municipality wants train whistles to stop at that crossing.
Kennedy told council through his report that if the town and CP Rail do not maintain the crossings according to the requirements in the Railway Safety Act and Grade Crossing Regulations, a Transport Canada Rail Safety inspector may order that train whistling start again.
As for the pedestrian crossing, Kennedy told council a meeting was held with CP Rail representative Pete Bayerle on Nov. 5 to review the design and discuss the requirements to complete the work. He said CP Rail is in favour of the at-grade pedestrian crossing that will require signals, lights, bells, arms and a section of chain link fence. The total cost of $600,000 is being funded from General Reserves and Railway Reserves.
Council was told a portion of the pedestrian crossing cost will be eligible for provincial grant funding but the amount is undetermined at this time.
Kennedy said the next steps are to complete the detailed design and tender the paved trail. Council was told administration will work with CP Rail on the grant application, which will be submitted when construction is completed.
