Editor:
Re: Hoping for change down the line, Aug. 26 letters.
Although I appreciate letter-writer John Oliver’s noise-pollution concerns, the Canadian Rail Operating Rule #14(L) states that at public crossings at grade, trains operating at a speed less then 44 m.p.h. must blow their whistles – two long, one short and one long – to provide 20 seconds warning prior to entering the crossing until the crossing is fully occupied.
If an accident occurred at a crossing, and the above rule was not adhered to by the train crew, they could be dismissed by the railway for non-compliance of the rules. If there were injuries or deaths, the train crew could be sued for damages caused by the accident.
Unfortunately, the new locomotives do not have a whistle cord or valve that one could regulate the amount of air going to the whistles. They are now equipped with a button that electronically operates a valve that supplies main reservoir air – approximately 130 pounds – to the whistles, which gives the maximum output.
West Vancouver has had an anti-whistle bylaw for years. Maybe you should try this route.
Barry Turriff, Delta
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Relocation hurdles add up
Editor:
Sorry, folks, in spite of all the whining, that railway ain’t movin’.
And a pox on all politicians for pandering and telling you it’s possible.
Let’s peg the cost at over $5 billion, including a long tunnel under the Peninsula: think the $1.9-billion Canada Line times two, or nearly $4 billion right there.
And if you love TransLink, you’re going to just die for a cost-overrun project like this one.
Then consider buying at least a thousand or so million-dollar properties for the right-of-way, no matter where that right-of-way goes, and building railway-strength bridges over two rivers.
This is only on the Canadian side, mind you. How about property acquisition and bridges and overpasses on the American side, for example over the I-5? Not to mention BNSF and various levels of U.S. local, state and federal governments having to sign off on any changes.
Seem likely to you?
Perry Kilby, White Rock
