Cochrane Alberta - Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) officials presented its safety measures to council 28 Sep 2015, measures it has been taking since the community saw two tragedies occur over the summer, which sparked debate on which precautions should be taken next.
 
After a presentation by CP superintendent Ken Turner and CP government affairs Mike LoVecchio at the council meeting, councillor Morgan Nagel asked if CP was supportive of adding another crossing in Cochrane, to which LoVecchio quickly replied, no.
 
"I think in Cochrane we have a real safety concern, especially with the lack of crossings," Nagel said.
 
"There is one crossing where you have to walk half-an-hour one way or half-an-hour the other way to cross the tracks, and I think the reality is people are just not going to do that, and we are not going to stop people from the railroad tracks."
 
LoVecchio said railroad crossings are where the railroad faces the greatest risk that is out of the company's control, and suggested the town instead look at a grade separation with an overpass or underpass.
 
"It is expensive? Yes. Is it an investment in some cases that should have been made decades ago? Yes. Are they projects we should be working on jointly? Absolutely," LoVecchio said.
 
When councillor Jeff Toews questioned CP officials on the cost estimate of an overpass or underpass, LoVecchio ball-parked the number anywhere from $10 to $20 million, mentioning the railway has contributed to similar past projects across Canada.
 
Toews then asked what percentage CP would contribute if Cochrane were to take on the project of an overpass or underpass.
 
"It depends, but typically we will try to negotiate as low a contribution as possible. It is good business to retain our funds, we will contribute in some projects as high as 10 percent, in some projects lower than that," LoVecchio explained.
 
LoVecchio explained that the company had an annual budget of $1.5 billion, with a little over half going to maintenance.
 
Councillors and CP officials went back and forth discussing the impossibility of budgeting out an overpass or underpass at the current time, and stressed the need to look for an interim solution after the tragic year in Cochrane, which saw two fatalities on the CP railway tracks.
 
Councillor Gaynor Levisky brought up the fact that both fatalities occurred not at crossings but on other sections of the train tracks.
 
"With all due respect, one of the three incidents this summer occurred on the bridge and there is no need for a crossing on the bridge," LoVecchio replied.
 
"From a safety perspective, from an operational perspective, another crossing is just not ideal."
 
The discussion struggled to move forward as the town does not have funding to build an over or underpass, and CP officials refused to approve another crossing in town, with LoVecchio suggesting they could reinstate the whistle on the west end of Cochrane.
 
"It's been interesting to me sitting here listening to this because you are very good at your job, you've managed to spin everything we've said back to us, so kudos to you, because this is a joint responsibility," Toews said.
 
"You've had almost every councillor tell you that the crossing (west of 5th Ave) is extremely important and I'm in agreement with the rest of council, I would really love to see you guys step up a little bit more and come together and help us. It would be fantastic to work with you guys."
 
CP officials provided their contact information to council, with the possibility of them working with the town to find a future solution.
 
Jenna Dulewich.