26 October 2005
Vandals Hit CP Twice in One Week
Cochrane - Canadian Pacific Railway property was damaged on two separate, but most likely
unrelated incidents, in a span of less than a week, and it's prompted RCMP and CP Rail to remind people that any damage to railway
property can result in fines up to $10,000.
On 12 Oct 2005, in the early morning hours, CP Rail Police discovered damage to a signal box located near the Ghost Lake
Dam on the Morley Reserve.
According to CP Rail officials, the signal box was vandalized causing minimal damage, but another discovery was greatly alarming. Near
where the signal box was located, wood pieces, stones and other garbage from the surrounding area was found placed on the tracks for
a span of approximately seven kilometres. "It takes a lot to derail a train, but it's certainly a hazard to our crews and the
people in the area," said Ed Greenberg, spokesperson for CP Rail.
While the incident is of a serious nature, CP Rail assured that they perform daily inspections of the tracks to ensure the safety of
the communities the trains travel through. "Our track experts use either ultrasonic technology or computerized inspections every
day to check on the tracks," Greenberg said.
Six days later, on 18 Oct 2005 at 11:55 p.m., Cochrane Fire Crews responded to an incident where a 15 foot by 15 foot
abandoned shed, owned by the rail company, located on River Ave. and Railway St., was fully engulfed in flames. "It was an old
storage shed, it was fully involved when the crew arrived," said Jory Jenson, of Cochrane FIRE/EMS.
While the cause of the fire is not yet known, this and the debris placed on the tracks are still under investigation. "Even if it
is abandoned, we still take it seriously and are still going to investigate," Greenberg assured.
Both RCMP and rail officials are reminding people that any damage to railway property is a crime under the Federal Canadian
Transportation Act, and can be fined up to $10,000. Anyone who knows anything about either incidents are asked to call the CP Rail
Police at 1(800) 716-9132, or the Cochrane RCMP at 932-2213.
|
