The Chinook's Edge School Division has sent a letter to Transport Canada asking if safety regulations are in place that limit the amount of time trains can remain stationary at railway crossings.
Colleen Butler, chair of the division's board of education, said the letter was sent following an Alberta School Boards Association Zone 4 meeting earlier this year that heard there were concerns from Mirror, a hamlet 40 kilometres east of Lacombe, about trains blocking key intersections.
“The safety of our students is our number 1 priority and when intersections are blocked for prolonged periods of time, it not only causes great concern for emergency vehicle access, but also has an impact on
school bus routes,” said Butler in her letter to Transport Canada.
“The pickup and drop-off times can be affected which disrupts school start times and also raises concern with students waiting for delayed buses.”
Butler said while there have not been any recent concerns raised in the Chinook's Edge division area the board still wanted to know from Transport Canada whether there was someone within that agency the public could call if a stationary train at a rail crossing was creating safety issues.
“Because the trains are often across the track and I know that people are having some issues with this, we just felt, and it's more on the request of one of the trustees from Wolf Creek, that there is someone to call,” she said. “All we are trying to do is get the number out so if people are finding they are sitting at the railway crossings for eons that they have someone to call about it.”
Butler said she talked to Rick Moskwa, railway operations inspector for Transport Canada, on April 10 and was told Canadian Pacific (CP) and Canadian National (CN) were advised about the concerns and that everything was done to ensure there were no further issues.
She said she was also told regulations were in place for stopped trains at intersections and that they have a stationary time limit of five minutes.
“He (Moskwa) has asked that if people do call that they give that information and also leave their number so he can get back to them for any additional information,” she said.
“They do want to make sure there are no issues and they want to deal with them if there are.”
Moskwa said he received several letters from education officials about the issue, adding it was also important he be sent details of any incident arising from trains stopping too long at intersection crossings.
“I have phoned the schools and I have told them. Give me names, times, dates and places and then I can approach the railroads. I can't go to the railroad and say ‘Hey, you are blocking crossings.' Where? What do I say?” he said. “I can only tell you I have responded. I understand there is a problem. At my level I am doing what is required of me.”
Moskwa confirmed he has advised CP and CN of the recent concerns coming from school board officials.
“I just came back from a meeting with CP and CN on school buses at crossings and everybody is aware of it,” he said. “They have passed everything on to their supervisors and that is about the extent of it.”
If any citizen has concerns with stopped trains at railway crossings he or she can contact Moskwa at 403-292-6010 or email at [email protected]
