Sleep-shattering train whistles drive Saint John neighbours to action

Paul Brown says he's been awakened many times in the night by the horn blasts from trains approaching the Douglas Avenue level crossing.

It came to a head about 3 a.m. one morning last November, when he rolled out of bed, grabbed his phone and recorded the way the noise reverberated inside his condominium unit.

He hopes to play that recording for city councillors when he appears before them on behalf of his condo association in June.

"There are some train operators that seem to use some discretion, that it's not bone-jarring when they use the horn," Brown said. "But there are others, maybe they don't like working at two in the morning and feel that others need to be awake too."

Louder than rock concert

In a letter to city council, Brown claims train horns blare at decibel levels louder than rock concerts, and well above levels that can be harmful to hearing.

Neighbour Bill Doyle is also upset about the train horns. He is a light sleeper who has to get up at 5 a.m. for work.

"Oh, it's loud, it's quite loud," said Doyle. "And when they turn it on, it seems like they like to keep that ringing and ringing and ringing. I said to my wife, my god, the cars must know they're coming by now."

Suzanne Wheeler, another condo owner, saidher two-year-old granddaughter is afraid to visit after being "traumatized" a year ago by a train horn while outside the building in a stroller.

Wheeler said the sound of the horns inside her unit is so loud she can't carry on phone conversations.

The track crosses Douglas Avenue at its western end, near Reversing Falls, then runs parallel to the street. A kilometre farther along, the track crosses Bentley Street. Residents say the horn blasts at the two crossings can go on for 20 seconds or more.

The condo association is hoping city council will ask theNB Southern Railway and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to end the use of train horns at the intersection.

The city did just that in 2015 to create a policy where trains crossing two intersections at Rothesay Avenue and Thorne Avenue stopped using their horns except in emergencies.

Horn a federal requirement

Coun. John MacKenzie saidhe's been speaking to residents in the condominium complex and another group in the area of nearby Bentley Streetmaking the same request.

He said he hopes the city can advocate for both groups just as it did in the case of the east Saint John residents.

"I think we have to do the same thing in this case," he said.

NB Southern Railway spokesperson Mary Keith said she was not aware the issue had been raised with city council.

"The train whistle at Douglas Avenue is a mandatory Transport Canada requirement and NBSR is in full compliance," she said.