Preliminary public consultation for Transport Canada's planned locomotive emission regulations under the Railway Safety Act.
I am writing from the perspective of a resident who lived beside railway tracks for 5 years.
I lived in xxx, on the 3rd floor of the building. The unit faced north overlooking the alley below and the end of the railway line. The rail yard has approximately 10 sets of tracks. Most of the tracks are used for re routing train cars and storing them until needed.
The problem was with the West Coast Express, a commuter train line. The Waterfront station is around 500 meters from our building and the various trains would warm up in front of our apartment.
Even though the warm up period is only supposed to be 10 minutes. However, each train would run for up to an hour, then would leave for the station. But there would already be another one warming up. The result was a constant flow of heavy diesel into our apartment.
Recorded here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwwjDeeF69c in a 8 part series.
The worst times were rush hour for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening.
Our problem was we liked to sleep with the windows open (especially in the summer), and if we slept through the morning rush hour we could wake to find our apartment filled with diesel fumes. The same could happen in the afternoon, because my office was at the front of the bowling alley style unit. So I could be working for an hour before realizing the trains had started and again my unit is filled with fumes. Even the hallways of our building could fill with the fumes from other units leaving their windows open.
I voiced my concern with the West Coast Express. I asked why the trains have to idle in front of a residential neighborhood, especially with all the open tracks available at the other side of the yard. They ignored my concerns and did not even respond to my communication attempts. I then contacted Environment Canada. Thanks Richard Holt for including me in the stakeholder group.
Sincerely, xxx
Five year resident at xxx, Vancouver BC.