Residents furious with trains that are waking them up at all hours of the night took their protest to the next level early Tuesday morning.
Roughly 15 people gathered near the intersection of Paisley Road and Edinburgh Road and stood on the railway tracks to stop a freight train from advancing.
Those in attendance say CN rail employees contacted Guelph Police who showed up and asked the protesters to step off the tracks and let the train pass, which they did.
People living along the CN rail corridor between Willow Road and Edinburgh Road South have been bothered by the noise of trains in recent weeks as needed repair work is done during the cooler night.
The problem escalated in the past few days as trains blast their train horns numerous times in the early hours of the morning, seriously affecting the sleep and lives of hundreds living in the area.
"It's just crackers," said Ward 3 councillor Phil Allt, who attended the mini-protest around 5 a.m. Tuesday and observed from the sidewalk.
"I find CN's apology and rationale a bit hollow right now," Allt said.
He said Guelph Police were respectful and sympathetic and explained the residents' rights in asking them to move off the tracks, which they did.
The train was stopped prior to their stepping onto the tracks.
"As long as they keep honking their horns, they're going to be out there," Allt said, as area residents have promised to return early Wednesday morning as well.
Allt said something has to be done to stop the blaring of the horns, which can be heard in neighbourhoods several blocks away.
LITERALLYLLYLYLYLYY I DONT EVEN LIVE BESIDE THE TRACKS AND THIS WAS LOUDER THAN MY FIRE ALARM https://t.co/hxlxaTCtcM
— Hazel de Borja (@hazelovesyoukxo) June 4, 2019
The city is helpless to enforce its noise bylaws because rail operation falls under federal jurisdiction.
Mayor Cam Guthrie, MPP Mike Schreiner and MP Lloyd Longfield are all aware of the situation and have been in touch with CN.
Hundreds of calls and emails have been made by area residents and flyers were distributed in the Sunnyacres neighbourhood Monday asking people to contact CN and voice their displeasure.
"They didn't tone it down, it was just a bit later in the night," area resident Dhalia Clark said of the train horns that people report blasting at around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
"It's rediculously over the top in a residential neighbourhood in the middle of the night," Clark said of the train horns.
Clark is recovering from a serious viral infection and needs her rest.
She said children aren't getting the sleep they need and aren't functioning properly at school.
"If this continues we're thinking of going to stay with friends somewhere," Clark said.
"For 20 years we've lived right next to the railway tracks and it's never been a problem before."
Clark said the next step might be an official complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency. But that could take several months to resolve.
For now area residents plan on bombarding CN with phone calls and emails and continuing to protest at the tracks.
CN Rail spokesperson Alexandre Boulé said Monday in an email that the company apologizes to residents for the inconvenience and will continue to engage with the city and review its operations in order to mitigate as much as possible frustrations by local residents and the City.
Boulé said the condition of the rail infrastructure inherited after taking over the operation of the tracks from Goderich Exeter has necessitated a significant investment for safety and efficiency purposes.
“CN has begun making investments this year and will continue to invest in safety through 2020. These investments will address many of the issues leading to current frustrations,” said Boulé. “Going forward, we will make sure to notify the City of any planned changes in our operations that might have an impact on the residents.”
Clark said she was promised an update by CN Tuesday.
