Overnight train whistles silenced after weeks of complaints from Kitchener residents

Residents in a Kitchener neighbourhood can now sleep soundly after Metrolinx agreed to quiet overnight train whistles. CTV's Hannah Schmidt has more.

Loud train whistles have been disrupting the sleep of residents in downtown Kitchener for nearly six weeks. But Metrolinx says they will finally stop — at least overnight.

Crews started doing work in mid-April near the rail crossing at Lancaster Street West and Victoria Street North. As part of that project, Metrolinx had to temporarily disconnected the dynamic warning signs at the crossing, forcing train operators to rely on their horns as a safety precaution as they approached the intersection.

Residents complained that the whistles, which were heard both day and night, made it nearly impossible to get uninterrupted rest.

“The first day, I remember I was in a back room that’s all cemented in, and I thought the train was beside me, it was so loud,” resident Lane Burman told CTV News.

He and other neighbours claimed they were never warned about the extended disruption and overnight whistles. Construction notices from Metrolinx, dated April 17, were distributed to some homes. Others said they received no communication at all.

“There’s just a hornet’s nest of angry residents,” Burman explained. “I’ve heard from people that their babies are waking up in the middle of the night, their dogs are barking, they’re waking up and they’re not being able to get back to sleep.”

Stephanie Stretch, the city councillor for Ward 10, said it’s a problem that needs to be addressed with more transparency and consultation.

“Metrolinx is a provincial organization, so the city has zero jurisdiction,” she explained. “We were filled in at the same time, along with the residents. We started advocating, along with the residents, to figure out what’s going on.”

In an email to CTV News, Metrolinx acknowledged the noise disruption and announced a temporary fix.

Three of the four dynamic warning signs at the crossing have been restored and a security guard will now be stationed at the fourth location overnight. As of Friday, train horns will no longer sound between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

“We continue to work with our freight partner to ensure the ongoing work is completed as quickly as possible,” Metrolinx wrote. “The daytime whistles will stop once the work is complete, and the remaining multi-train warning sign can be re-activated.”

Stretch added that, while safety must remain a top priority, the city should also be included in discussions that directly impact their residents.

“It took way too long,” she said, referring to the lengthy process residents claimed they faced when sharing their concerns with Metrolinx. “Looping the city in on the communication along with the residents would be helpful because, often, the first place people go is their city councillor when they have a question about what’s going on. For the city to not know as well with other residents, I think was a real gap.”

Burman, for one, has noticed a difference since Metrolinx acknowledged the concerns of neighbours.

“On Friday, we noticed at our place of work... that the horns were not blowing too loud, that the sheer volume wasn’t as loud except for one train, which was blowing quite loud, which is a huge reduction to begin with,” he told CTV News. “I didn’t hear any horns throughout the night. So, I’m going to say that, right now, they’ve complied with what they had issued out on their order as far as the temporary [solution], having a security officer standing at that site through the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.”

With more rail projects planned in Waterloo Region, residents and city leaders alike hope that the issue has been put to rest.

“I think this is a great learning lesson for Metrolinx,” Burman said. “I think, going forward, they will be more community minded.”

“We’re excited and we need the transit hub to come in, but there’s a lot of community members who live close by who need to be consulted and included,” Stretch insisted. “So, having information be accessible to them so they can reach out to their councillors or their regional councillors and get some answers would be absolutely helpful.”

Metrolinx said it’s working to restore the full safety system as soon as possible.

The whistles will still sound during the day, at least until the work wraps up.