Regulations.
A word that elicits a collective shudder from the offices of rail executives, it seems, and a wake-up call after hitting the snooze button one too many times on unresolved problems and unanswered complaints.
“Bad rail service must be fixed now, forestry industry tells Ottawa,” reads a headline of a recent newspaper article written by Derrick Penner.
The forestry industry has made it clear that they want their complaints about Canada’s major railways service affecting their businesses addressed through legislation now, rather than having to wait another three years for proposed “commercial measures” to take effect, as recommended by a federal review panel of freight rail services before further regulating railways.
Residents of communities in Alberta, BC, and Ontario have submitted comments on our blog including those from:
(1) Woodstock, ON on the post This Blog Needs the Railway Point of View regarding CP Rail and Ontario Southland Railway.
(2) Golden, BC on the post A Matter of Confidence regarding CP Rail.
(3) Coquitlam, BC on the page Tell Us Your Story…BC regarding CP Rail.
(4) Ardrossan, AB on the page Resources regarding CN Rail.
(5) Kamloops, BC on the page Resources regarding CN Rail.
We have recently received some comments from Mr. Jeff Willsie, President of the Ontario Southland Railway stating that “this blog needs the railway point of view.”
Mr. Willsie submitted his comments after our recent post, Leasing a Loophole, made mention of the railway he leads. We have posted Mr. Willsie’s comments and opinions accordingly, and thank him for his time in contacting us.
Just to recap, Mr. Willsie’s first comment appeared under the post, Defective Rail Cars a Safety Concern for Communities.
“The first train arrived in St Thomas in 1881 long before Mr Bickelky moved in.
If Mr Bickley does not like to live by the railway he should move. There is nothing going on on the railway that has not been happening for well over 125 years.
As oil costs increase more , more freight will travel by rail.If it were not for rail there would be no Cami or Toyota plants in this are, bringing in millions of dollars of economic bennefit.If Mr Bickley does no like the whistle he can lobby for a whistle bylaw, as for vibration & noise he can move, the railway cannot.”
Woodstock, Ontario is a city that values its character. With its tree-lined streets, century-old homes, and abundant parkland, Woodstock promotes itself as being “The Friendly City”.
However, Brian Bickley and some of his neighbours have found that the conduct of one of Woodstock’s local corporate entities to be anything but congenial.
Plagued by what he believed to be unreasonable noise and vibration emanating from Canadian Pacific Railway’s Woodstock Yard operations, and after exhausting all collaborative measures available to him, Bickley filed a formal complaint with The Canadian Transportation Agency, in which it was anticipated that the Agency would render a formal public decision concerning the dispute.
Here, as in many communities, the most active time for rail activity is after midnight.
It’s utterly amazing how freight that has sat at a silent standstill since the previous day in a residential area can only be moved in the dead of night.
If that isn’t enough to ruin another night’s sleep, a recently released report by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is enough to give anyone living by our railways nightmares for the duration of whatever interrupted rest they do manage to get.
The TSB warns that “tens of thousands” of defective railway tank cars, many transporting hazardous materials, remain in use by North American railways.
Rail and Reason 