Regina councillors ask admin to look into reducing train noise in Eastview

Two Regina city councillors are pushing for train noise to be decreased in the Eastview and McNab neighbourhoods, but administration is warning of high potential costs.

Councillors Dan LeBlanc and Shanon Zachidniak spoke on Wednesday with a motion to ask administration to:

• Identify a strategy for reducing noise caused by train whistles in the neighbourhoods overnight.
• Identify options for reducing frequency of trains and length of trains stopping within Eastview.
• Identify alternative routes for trains for their regulated stops.
• Evaluate the current state of pedestrian safety with the train tracks in the neighbourhoods.
• Identify the current state of the land beside tracks.

LeBlanc said he didn't realize how big an issue this was until he started talking to people in the community about it. He said it was a high priority for residents, as children were being woken up in the middle of the night and there are safety concerns around the tracks.

"I'd look for your support on this first stage consultation and then hopefully see what we can do to these residents to help them get a good night's sleep and make sure their kids are safe," LeBlanc said to council.

City administration said during the meeting they don't currently have data on pedestrian and train collisions. Administration warned that if this goes forward and there are changes needed, there is no funds currently put away for it.

Each crossing could cost $100,000 to $500,000, so depending on the amount of workthe city may need to spend millions to get the safety features for the application done, administration said. It also said it's key to remember the application can be denied by Transport Canada.

"Investment does not guarantee an absence in the disruption for a neighborhood," Kim Onrait with the city's administration said.

Crossing bells for safety may end up being louder than the train whistlesthemselves, administration said.

A delegation to council said train traffic has only been increasing and will increase in the future.

"To dramatically improve quality of life, the horn noise needs to be seized," O'Neil Zuck, a resident of Eastview for 57 years, said to council on Wednesday.

Zuck said there are two lines in the neighbourhood: the spur line and main line. The main line has no more whistling by trains, but the spur line still does. He said this is what council should tackle.

City administration is also studying moving trains off the Ring Road train tracks. If that happens, it would have impacts for the Eastview neighbourhoods.

In light of that information, council voted in favour of tablingthis motion until that report comes back in the summer or fall of this year.