Train whistles to go quiet at 3 Edmonton rail crossings

Edmonton has been working with rail companies to make upgrades that will allow train engineers to stop blowing their whistles at three Edmonton rail crossings.

Some Edmonton neighbourhoods near railroad tracks will soon be quieter.

Trains will no longer be blasting their horns at three different rail crossings.

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Two of the crossings are in north Edmonton just east of 142 Street near Anthony Henday Drive. The other is in a southeast industrial area near Maple Ridge.

The city has been working with Canadian National Railway and CPKC for the better part of a decade, in line with Transport Canada regulations.

Trains blow their whistles at crossings as a safety measure.

Public money covered the cost of safety upgrades at various rail crossings to allow train conductors to stop blowing their whistles.

City councillor Erin Rutherford says the noise is disruptive for people who live nearby.

“They know they live near a railway, but to have whistles going 24/7 in the middle of the night is jarring, and if there’s a way to mitigate it, we should,” Rutherford, who represents Ward Aniriq, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

Work is underway to stop whistle-blowing at three more city rail crossings, including one near the Yellowhead and St. Albert Trail.

Now that city council has given its approval, the train whistles will stop some time in the next month or so.