Inglewood residents still miffed

[speedog]

WTF - it's not like the CPR Alyth yards just sprung up over night. Calgary SUN article - link (slow news day?)...

Some Inglewood residents who continue to lobby a railway giant for some peaceful shut-eye have now turned their efforts to social media.

An advertisement in the February edition of the Inglewood Community Newsletter and a post on the community association’s website encourages those kept awake by noise from Canadian Pacific’s (CP) nearby Alyth rail yard to tweet using the hashtag #ShameOnYouCPrail.

Last summer, the Canadian Transportation Agency ordered CP to stop locomotive testing and repair work at the yard between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

But some residents say they’re still not getting a good night’s sleep due to noise from the yard.

“I have gone through multiple pair of ear plugs — that hasn’t helped,” said Inglewood resident Jack Adamson, who lives about three blocks from the site.

“I’m wondering how kids are getting any sleep.

“We’re just letting the world know we’ve had enough.”

Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said though he considers himself to be in a diplomatic role between the community and the company, he’s proud of the citizens for standing up for themselves.

“I think they have every right to do so,” he said.

“They are continuing their incredibly successful campaign and keeping the pressure on.”

Ed Greenberg with CP said the company has followed the order to cease locomotive testing and repair work between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

However, he said, other operations — such assembling trains and moving cars — are not prohibited and that work continues 24/7.

“CP is continually compliant in following the directive,” he said.

“(It) did not cover other normal rail yard operations.”

The company announced in September it plans to relocate its Locomotive Reliability Centre, but a timeline has not been confirmed.

Until then, and even after the centre for fixing and testing equipment is moved, the Alyth rail yard will continue to function, said Greenberg.

“Alyth will continue to be a fully operational, 24/7 rail yard as it always has been,” he said, adding CP is working with Carra on how the yard and the community can co-exist peacefully.

“In fairness to residents, we will look at any questions or enquiries that are raised about Alyth.”

[FraserB]

Wasn't it there before the community was? Its like the people who move in near the landfill and then bitch when it smells funny.

[GoChris]

Or move near a race track and then bitch that it's too loud.

[rob the knob]

Originally posted by speedog
WTF - it's not like the CPR Alyth yards just sprung up over night. Calgary SUN article - link (slow news day?)...

u biatche

[ZenOps]

Gotta upgrade the railcars.

Would they rather have one explode on their front yard like Lac Magantic? Gotta weigh priorities.

All the rail people have to do is circulate a waiver. If you would like us to stop working and lower noise, then we will not be liable for explosive or fiery death of your neighborhood resulting from lack of repair. Sign here please.

That would be pretty blunt and untactful (but it would probably work)

[Willie Bobo]

Originally posted by speedog
WTF - it's not like the CPR Alyth yards just sprung up over night.

You are correct. The noise has always been there during the day, but due to consolidation CP is running longer hours, now well into the night, where one would reasonably expect CP to be mindful/ or at least have a modicum of respect for their neighbors, who have been there just as long.

[msommers]

Tough titty. Those complainers knew what they were getting into when they bought there. Hope CP tells them to take a hike

[Go4Long]

Originally posted by Willie Bobo

You are correct. The noise has always been there during the day, but due to consolidation CP is running longer hours, now well into the night, where one would reasonably expect CP to be mindful/ or at least have a modicum of respect for their neighbors, who have been there just as long.

So in your expert opinion railroading used to be a 9-5 kinda deal?

Railroading has always been a 24/7 operation, and always will be...and as a side note, there's actually significantly less switching performed in Alyth than there was even 18 months ago.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Willie Bobo
You are correct. The noise has always been there during the day, but due to consolidation CP is running longer hours, now well into the night, where one would reasonably expect CP to be mindful/ or at least have a modicum of respect for their neighbors, who have been there just as long.

I highly doubt any current Inglewood resident has been living there as long as the Alyth yard has been in existence (1920 or earlier) - these people very well knew there was a railroad yard nearby when they either purchased or built their homes.

[Willie Bobo]

Originally posted by Go4Long


So in your expert opinion railroading used to be a 9-5 kinda deal?

Railroading has always been a 24/7 operation, and always will be...

Who said I was an expert?

Anyway, yes, (to qualify my answer) as a person with zero ties to Inglewood or the railway, at this location next to a residential neighborhood, restrictions are necessary. The Canadian Transportation Agency also agrees with this and has placed time restrictions on a part of their operations at this location, to which, seemingly, hasn't made much of a difference. Hence the Sun article.

Some good reading...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...yard-1.1395812

Federal regulators ordered Canadian Pacific Railway to take steps to curb the noise coming from its southeast Calgary Alyth yard.

Residents have long complained about noise and vibrations from the yard that straddles 15A Street, stretching from Blackfoot Trail south to 42nd Avenue S.E.

Complaints intensified in recent years after CPR consolidated locomotive servicing work at the location, doubling the size of the operation that now runs longer hours.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) released a ruling Friday saying it cannot conduct any load testing or idling operations as of Aug. 15 from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. MT within 400 metres of the repair facility.

Ed Greenberg with Canadian Pacific says they made some changes at Alyth a year ago, but will comply with the new order.

"We believe we do comply with it, but ... in fairness to the CTA we're going to take a close look at the entire report to make sure that change as well as any other comments the CTA made will be complied with," he said.

[FraserB]

So Willie, if we were to build a condo next to the refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, should the refinery then be forced to curb its operations even though all the people who bought a condo knew it was there?

Its the exact same situation. People are buying knowing that the yard is there, then they bitch when its loud. Then they expect the tenant who was there before to change.

[Willie Bobo]

Originally posted by FraserB
So Willie, if we were to build a condo next to the refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, should the refinery then be forced to curb its operations even though all the people who bought a condo knew it was there?

Its the exact same situation. People are buying knowing that the yard is there, then they bitch when its loud. Then they expect the tenant who was there before to change.

You do realize that Inglewood is Calgary's first neighbourhood and that people have been living there as long (if not longer) than the Alyth yard?

[revelations]

No sympathy whatsoever. If CP is KIND enough to accommodate the residents requests, then thats ENTIRELY CP's prerogative.

Note: dont move to an area around an airport. There is a chance they could add another runway in 10 years which means planes COULD be flying overhead.

[Go4Long]

Originally posted by Willie Bobo


You do realize that Inglewood is Calgary's first neighbourhood and that people have been living there as long (if not longer) than the Alyth yard?

**DISCLAIMER** None of my posts on this board are said as a representative of the company.

None of the people that were there before the yard live there anymore.

The order you're quoting only affected load testing (which did increase, but has since ceased)...and actually you're not quoting the most restrictive version of the order.

The one you're quoting limits us to doing it more than 400ft from the repair facility, the final version restricted us from doing it from 2300-0700, and was followed by an announcement from the company that they will be closing the repair facility.

They did state in the order that they had no intention of limiting switching operations.

[Willie Bobo]

Originally posted by Go4Long


**DISCLAIMER** None of my posts on this board are said as a representative of the company.

None of the people that were there before the yard live there anymore.

So maybe their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren do? Either way, what relevance does that have? Shouldn't the same level of respect CP showed to previous residents be carried on today? Or are profits more important?

Originally posted by Go4Long
The order you're quoting only affected load testing (which did increase, but has since ceased)...and actually you're not quoting the most restrictive version of the order.

The one you're quoting limits us to doing it more than 400ft from the repair facility, the final version restricted us from doing it from 2300-0700, and was followed by an announcement from the company that they will be closing the repair facility.

They did state in the order that they had no intention of limiting switching operations.

Sorry I'm just quoting what was reported in the news. I'd love to see all the restrictions if you could post them.

[Go4Long]

The work that was restricted isn't done in Calgary anymore at all.

I'm not saying the company should just tell off the residents...but the airport analogy above is very appropriate. Moving next to the yard and then going to the media about the noise is like moving to Saudi Arabia and being upset that they won't let your wife drive.

not to be rude, but you really need to know a lot more about the issue before deciding you agree with either side (I'm not saying that either side is right or wrong, just that based on what you're posting as fact you are lacking a credible source). I know that's not the policy here in Calgary with civic politics...but hey.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Willie Bobo
You do realize that Inglewood is Calgary's first neighbourhood and that people have been living there as long (if not longer) than the Alyth yard?

While Inglewood is older than Alyth yard, the homes that are close to the noise weren't built until much later when Inglewood (and Calgary) grew.

There's an affordable housing complex there that's also complaining about noise. That complex was built in 2009, and is affordable housing for a reason.

[Willie Bobo]

Originally posted by Go4Long
The work that was restricted isn't done in Calgary anymore at all.

I'm not saying the company should just tell off the residents...but the airport analogy above is very appropriate. Moving next to the yard and then going to the media about the noise is like moving to Saudi Arabia and being upset that they won't let your wife drive.

PEOPLE WERE THERE BEFORE THE YARD. WHO CARES WHEN THEY MOVED IN. How much simpler could this be. They didn't put the yard there, CP did. These same residents didn't ask CP to closed down other facilities and bring all this additional work to their community. CP did. You can make CP out to be the victim, but there was a time when corporate/community responsibility was more important than profits.

Originally posted by Go4Long
not to be rude, but you really need to know a lot more about the issue before deciding you agree with either side. I know that's not the policy here in Calgary with civic politics...but hey.

Not to be rude myself, but why don't you answer the questions I've posed in this thread and enlighten me on the ways of CP?

[AndyL]

I dunno... Just shifting the problem - I think transport canada should tell inglewood to STFU.

That said - betcha conklin's now bitching about all the noise Oh, wait - no that's CN - Most of what was going on by the Roadkill has moved out there now.

So if CN can move outside the city - why can't CP? For some reason it doesn't make sense that heavy industry chooses to exist in a densely populated area - whether they're allowed by transport canada or not...

[rage2]

Originally posted by Willie Bobo
PEOPLE WERE THERE BEFORE THE YARD.

No they weren't. See my post above.