Railroad
The Five-Minute Rule
There is no legal limit to the length of time that a train may block a road. However, as of 2014, federal regulations limit the extent to which shunting and idling operations may block roads. The relevant law, referred to colloquially as the “five-minute rule”, is Section 97(2) of the Grade Crossing Regulations (https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2014-275/FullText.html), which…
Read MoreA Short History of the Burrard Inlet Line
This post focuses on the history of colonial settlement of Vancouver, however we respectfully acknowledge that Vancouver is part of the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, whose settlement of the Strathcona neighbourhood is less well-documented. It is often said that Canada was built around railways and railways…
Read MoreCN Plans to Mitigate Noise Along the Rail Line
Noise from freight trains on the Burrard Inlet Line (the north-south rail line through Strathcona) can be, at times, disturbingly loud. Northbound trains frequently stop and start. When an engine brakes, the slack between each rail car results in a harsh slam-bang as each car is hits the one in front of it. At Cordova St., the…
Read MoreUpdate (Mar.18, 2021)
The twinning of the Burrard Inlet Rail Line has been deferred by CN Rail, possibly to coordinate with the construction of the underpass at Venables. The Centerm Port expansion is on schedule to be completed by 2022 and will likely result in increased rail traffic. The City will be launching a pilot project this Spring…
Read MoreCordova Rail Crossing Closure
Aug 2020 Residents of the Strathcona Village building complex on 1000-block E. Hastings Street have been attempting to get the attention of city and CN officials to address the noise-related health effects of the very loud rail crossing signals at Cordova St. and Raymur Street. Due to the interaction between the new “smart” signals and…
Read MoreBurrard Inlet Line Connectivity Study
Dec 2020 The SRA was recently awarded a grant from CN Rail’s BC Community Board to undertake a connectivity study to better understand how residents are currently crossing the Burrard Inlet rail corridor. The study will look at the “current conditions” of community connectivity, how this may be influenced by additional grade-separation within the next…
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