Freight trains don’t belong in the city
When I was fairly wee, my parents took me to Germany to meet my grandmother. She lived in a residence, so we bunked at a tiny nearby hotel, more of a B&B, really.
I remember that place incredibly clearly, particularly the trains. All night long, they would rattle and hoot past my window; I was shocked at the noise. Nights at home were dead silent. What, I asked my father, was going on?
He explained, I’m sure, that trains were ubiquitous and constantly on the move in Europe. He suggested that I might get used to it. And I did, more or less. As most of us do.
Later, in my teens, we moved to an eastern neighbourhood in Saskatoon and I could hear the Sutherland train yards banging away almost every night, depending on atmospheric conditions. Now I live in south-central Saskatoon, and when the wind is southerly, the sounds of the trains float (sometimes loudly) into my bedroom.
But I don’t live right on a line, like some of my fellow YXE citizens in Sutherland, Caswell Hill (where once I lived a block from the railroad track), North Park, Pleasant Hill and elsewhere.
I will digress for a moment to point out that I’ve long thought it is far past time to have the Canadian Pacific line moved out of the city. It’s nothing short of dangerous to have that line snaking through multiple neighbourhoods, transporting oil and goodness knows what else, and stalling traffic, including, most importantly, emergency vehicles.
In addition, there is little in the way of sound and vibration mitigation, and now that’s become even worse since CP cut down huge numbers of trees along the 33rd Street track dividing City Park and North Park.
I can’t say it better than John Penner, who sent a letter on the issue to the editor of The Starphoenix.
“The clear cutting of these trees left both neighbourhoods completely exposed to the noise, light and sight of the freight trains moving through this residential area. Clear cutting may also facilitate erosion on such a steep embankment.”
CP has since apologized, but even with promised new planting, it’s going to be a while before there’s any buffer for nearby residents.
This event re-stoked my concern over the railway issue in general. I’ve wondered for some time how freight trains affect not just people’s lives, but also their property values.
Before COVID-19 hit us and all other news bets were off, I spoke to Roman Todos, president of the Caswell Community Association.
I admit to being surprised by his response to my question, how do Caswell residents feel about the train track running along the south and east sides of the neighbourhood?
“It’s somewhat of a concern in the neighbourhood,” he said. “You never know when they’re coming through; that’s a concern. You don’t know what they’re bringing through — oil and gas, grain, chemicals.
“Most of the time it’s just an inconvenience for a lot of people.
“Today, for example (much earlier in the year), the railway arms went down because they weren’t working properly. Idylwyld backed up and getting to work and the kids to school was a problem.”
However, according to a community survey, the track wasn’t a major issue, he said. He also noted that house prices in Caswell have remained remarkably stable for almost a decade, during which trains have become longer and even more frustrating. I looked it up just to be thorough, and, of course, he was right.
So, yes, it seems that people do get used to trains, at least to a point.
Indeed, historically, owning property near a railroad line was a very good thing. Even today, property prices in many cities can be higher near railway stations; but we are talking about human transportation in this case, not freight lines dividing neighbourhoods and frustrating fire and police departments.
Despite Caswell residents being relatively relaxed about the train issue, Todos, as I’m sure many of us would, still wants change. He’d like to see a crossing of some kind — an overpass or underpass — or a complete removal. “It should have been moved when CN moved its track out of town.”
That was in the 1960s and, yes, it should have. I’m horrified by the lack of response from CP to our mayor — our mayor, people — on the issues the rail line creates in our city. And those issues are not just neighbourhood specific. Even if property values are not noticeably affected by its existence (and perhaps they are in some areas; it’s difficult to prove one way or another), our way of life is.
Trains are ubiquitous. In larger communities, they offer important human transportation, and living near a station is often considered a bonus. But freight trains should not be rolling through city centres.
Maybe their existence doesn’t drive down real estate values, although it may repress significant increases. But it certainly drives down our quality of life and risks the safety of those living not just nearby, but everywhere in Saskatoon.