10 January 2006
Construction of New Railway Siding Unlikely
Crowsnest Pass - If the words of municipal representatives mean anything, then the Canadian
Pacific Railway should reappraise its proposal for a new siding in the Pass.
At the municipal council meeting on 20 Dec 2005, Mayor John Irwin and Councillors Gail Sygutek, Nestor Chorney and Gary
Taje voiced their opposition to CPR's proposal.
Manager of Rail Network Capacity Bill Salmond says, "The proposed location between Blairmore and Coleman is the only location that
meets railway safety and operational requirements, while at the same time minimizing any possible inconvenience to the general
public."
The municipal politicians declared their opposition to the proposal during a discussion of a letter from Salmond to the municipality.
"Some concerns were expressed during the recent presentation to council concerning the possible closure of 88 St.," said
Salmond. The letter presented three options for dealing with the crossing at 88 St.
The first option would close the 88 St. crossing and force affected drivers to use the crossing at 81 St.
The second option would gate it off with emergency services able to unlock the gate to cross the tracks when necessary.
If a train blocked the crossing, the emergency services would have to contact CPR's 24-hour emergency number to clear the
crossing.
The third option would leave the crossing open with a new warning system with gates.
"While all of these options are workable from our perspective, CPR's clear preference is Option One," said Salmond.
"There are only a few users of the 88 St. crossing for whom closure might be considered an inconvenience."
If the municipality accepts Option One or Two, then the "CPR would be prepared... to upgrade another crossing in the
municipality," he added. He also says that the recently announced changes to Highway 3 could make the concerns about this crossing
irrelevant because "the most direct access to 88 St. from Highway 3 does not appear to meet modern highway design standards and
could be a candidate for closure."
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