Train whistle cessation still top of mind for people in New West

Train whistle cessation is still an important topic for people in New West, with City staff revealing in a recent report that to date this year there have been 20 cases in which people have reached out to City Hall.

Over the last six months, there have been 15 notes related to whistles, while one was about exhaust from trains, and four were about train and/or railway operational concerns.

Here are some of the latest dates for anticipated whistle cessation completion.

• At the Columbia and Cumberland streets crossing in Sapperton: the third quarter of 2025;

• At the Spruce St. crossing in Sapperton: the third quarter of 2025;

• At Furness and Duncan streets in Queensborough: the last quarter of 2023;

• At the 20th St. crossing in the West End: the last quarter of 2024;

• At the 4th Ave. crossing in the West End: the last quarter of 2024;

All the latest dates can be found at the City’s whistle cessation page.

The Railway Technical Committee (RTC) met with the City and reps from railway companies in late May to talk about next steps. The meeting also included those who represented city engineering, New West Fire and Rescue, and those responsible at the provincial and federal level for train regulation.

For years, people in areas like Sapperton have expressed their worries about the impacts of train whistle noise on quality of life, including on sleep. However, as The Anchor explained in an Oct. 2022 piece, the issue of train whistles is multi-jurisdictional—meaning there are a number of groups involved in setting the rules and regulations for train operation.

As an example, there is one crossing in New Westminster—the one at Cumberland and Columbia—where three companies operate trains: Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF), Canadian National (CN), and Canadian Pacific (CP). Transport Canada also has a say as it’s responsible for regulating rail safety in Canada—as does the province’s Technical Safety BC. (TSBC)

“We inspect companies and road authorities to ensure they comply with the Act, and with regulations, rules, and engineering standards made under the Act,” explains Transport Canada on its website. “Rail safety inspectors conduct inspections (including audits) to determine whether a railway’s operations, equipment, signals and infrastructure support safety.”

Transport Canada says the most recent review of legislation on rail safety was done from 2017-2018.

“When a railway car is moved on provincial land, it is subject to the Railway Act of British Columbia,” the TSBC explains on its page. “Companies with operations that move railway equipment are required under provincial legislation to become certified railways.”

There are a total of 27 public at-grade railway crossings in the city, with 11 of those on the mainland.

This update is set to be presented to council on Monday, Aug. 27.

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