Kamloops British Columbia - The privately owned Jack Gregson Trail through part of downtown Kamloops is being permanently closed today.
 
The decades old trail used to be a main connection between downtown and Valleyview.
 
City of Kamloops parks manager Jeff Putnam says there is a need for an easier connection between those neighborhoods, for people travelling by foot, or by bike.
 
"There are some kind of long-term solutions that could involve some infrastructure, like an overpass, that type of thing. It's definitely something that we're aware of, but there wouldn't be anything in the immediate future."
 
CP owns most of the trail, and its making room to build a new track through downtown for CN to haul coal from Teck coal mines in the East Kootenay to Teck's Neptune Terminal in North Vancouver.
 
CP says its expansion is to make room for "significantly increasing shipment volumes," and says nearby residents can expect to hear noise from heavy machinery during the day, occasionally overnight, and says people will notice more dust in the air.
 
Despite indicating its work will have significant impacts in the community, CP has refused to answer any media questions asking for more specifics about its work.
 
The corporation will not say what its construction timeline is, what the length of track is that's being expanded, nor what kind of investment the project represents.
 
"We don't have anything further to add at this time," a spokesperson for CP said over email to NL News last month, after being asked the same questions repeatedly.
 
When it comes to coal dust flying off trains, Kamloops city councillor Dale Bass says she met last month with a representative from CP who assured coal dust can be mitigated.
 
Coal dust has particularly been an issue for residents in Dallas, where trains are travelling faster.
 
Colton Davies.