Image: City of Chilliwack / Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove (centre) met with CN Rail Police and other CN representatives in July to discuss trespassing around CN property, in the aftermath of a pedestrian fatality in early June.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Train whistling in Chilliwack

Transport Canada lifts order mandating train whistling, reduced train speeds in Chilliwack

Aug 21, 2024 | 8:28 AM

CHILLIWACK — Fraser Valley Today has learned that train whistling and reduced speeds are no longer mandatory under a federal order when trains travel through Chilliwack.

According to an email from Liana Wiebe, communications manager for the City of Chilliwack, CN Rail advised the City on Saturday, August 17 that Transport Canada lifted its previous order for reduced speed and whistling through Chilliwack.

The latest development comes after Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove met representatives from CN Rail and CN Rail Police in July to collaborate in the aftermath of a train fatality in June, which resulted in slower trains through Chilliwack and the immediate institution of loud train whistling. Mayor Popove had joined staff from CN Rail and CN Rail Police on a tour of their tracks to view efforts to reduce trespassing in response to the order from Transport Canada mandating whistling and reduced train speed.

On June 5, Mounties in Chilliwack responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a train near Eagle Landing Parkway. On arrival, Chilliwack RCMP officers located a deceased male in the area that had suffered injuries consistent with being struck by a train. The male was identified, RCMP spokesperson Corporal Carmen Kiener said, and his identity was not released.

In mid-June, Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove objected to additional demands made by CN Rail in the aftermath of the man’s fatality that resulted in train whistling and slower trains being instituted in Chilliwack.

4-year-old child dead, 2 in hospital aft

4-year-old child dead, 2 in hospital after being hit by bus near Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal

15h ago

education

University of the Fraser Valley instructor earns rare double honour for excellence and leadership

17h ago

Court orders B.C. to pass law giving French school board expropriation powers

22h ago

Rather than shore up its own railways and deploy CN Police to patrol its own tracks, Mayor Popove told 89.5 JR Country radio host Glen Slingerland Thursday morning, June 13 that CN Rail was doing the opposite.

“We’ve been in contact with CN, the amount of complaints we’re getting,” Mayor Popove said June 13. “CN is kinda throwing it back at us and says, you should send your police in there and kick at these people. Realistically, no, that’s not gonna happen! At the end of the day, that’s your responsibility, you’ve got CN Police, do your job, send a brusher in there and clean up the tracks. They wanted us to do that as well. We said [as a city] we’re not doing that, it’s their responsibility to do that.”

There appears to be a change in tone since that date as evidenced by the visit between Popove and reps from CN Rail and CN Rail Police.

Chilliwack residents who have concerns or complaints about CN Rail’s operations should contact the appropriate authorities, according to the City of Chilliwack’s website. This includes the following agencies and their contact information:

• CN Rail Public Inquiry Line: 1-888-888-5909, or contact@cn.ca.
• Transport Canada’s Pacific Regional Rail Safety Office: 604-666-0011.