At my most recent District 2 Advisory Committee meeting, held via Zoom, train noise was on the agenda.
Councillor Dida Berku is teaming up with me for a District 2 and 3 Coalition to try and deal with excessive train noise from the CP Railway. Frank Palucci said he even hears the trains all the way on Ilan Ramon Crescent. There was an incident recently in which a piece of equipment broke down, causing a few sleepless nights for residents of Merrimac and Baily Road residents.
Merrimac resident Charles Guerin is leading an effort to gather complaints. Below are his instructions:
What we need from people are for them first to email a complaint to CP Rail “Community Connect (Community_Connect@cpr.ca) ,” it’s sort of a help desk for CP Rail. The email should CC: jshecter@cotesaintluc.org on all correspondence, Cote St Luc’s legal counsel.
Community Connect will send everyone back a form letter the next day that explains why CP is good and their complaint is a waste of time…everyone should ignore that. The email complaint should address these points:
- What type of noise is bothering them? — Idling, braking, shunting (loud crashing sounds), bells, horns or something else?
- When does it happen when it bothers them? — Daytime, Nighttime
- Where are they located (address is fine)? How far is this approximately from the train?
- Have they experienced any of the following?
– Woken up in the middle of the night?
– House shaking?
– Frightened by sudden loud noise or crash?
– Other
- What effect is it having on them?
– Loss of sleep
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Fear
- Do any specific incidents that come to mind, particularly where they remember a date and time?
- What would they like to see happen?
[ ] Noise barriers added
[ ] Fewer trains at night
[ ] Fewer trains at all times
[ ] Ban on bells and horns at night
[ ] Repair of old equipment such as manual switches
[ ] Stop leaving the trains idling
[ ] Slow the speed of the trains
[ ] Increase the speed of the trains
Example:
"I am located at 5685 Ch Merrimac, the idling noise at night is shaking our house and waked me up every night, sometimes several times a night. My child wakes up too when loud crashes occur despite our sound-proofing windows. I am losing sleep every night.
Last week you left a train idling for close to 48 hours, this is unacceptable!
I am asking CP to add a noise barrier in my area, reduce the number of trains at night and replace the antiquated equipment so that trains can roll past faster without the need for idling."
I would like to thank Charles for his efforts and urge those who are impacted by this noise to please take the appropriate action.