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Sudbury station and yard - Date/Photographer unknown.

9 October 2013

Inner-City Rail Lines a Cause for Concern

Sudbury Ontario - For years, Sudburians have complained and voiced their concern relating to the CPR tracks at the Elm Street crossing.
 
Trains are travelling through the city about every 90 minutes, snarling traffic.
 
Unfortunately, the CN railway tracks that should be a real concern to the citizens of this community, are the tracks that extend through the city from east to west.
 
These tracks cross several major arteries in the city, unlike the CPR tracks, which crosses one main artery, Elm Street.
 
The CN line travels over Ethelbert Street, through the Donovan into the Flour Mill crossing Notre Dame Avenue, into New Sudbury crossing Barrydowne Road, and over the Falconbridge Highway.
 
In every area it travels, the train enters densely populated sections of the city, including school yards and playgrounds.
 
The high-pitched screeching noise created by the wheels pressing against the metal tracks demonstrate, to me, that these tracks were not built for long-haul trains.
 
Metal wheels can easily break off and cause a derailment.
 
This is a major concern to the people of our neighbourhood.
 
Why is CN allowed to haul what appear to be potentially dangerous materials through the centre of our city?
 
Is it a recipe for another catastrophe, as happened in Quebec recently?
 
Let's speak out and demand our first priority to be the safety of the citizens of this city.
 
I think it's time trains were moved out of urban areas.
 
Tony Sottile

Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada