19 March 2009
What Kind of Crazy, Mixed-Up City is This?
Saskatoon Saskatchewan - A city's downtown is no
place for freight trains. Besides holding up traffic, including ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars, the two sets of train tracks
running through the middle of Saskatoon are a serious impediment to downtown development.
The latest project to run into the rails is the planned extension of 25th Street West to Idylwyld Drive. As it is, the tracks will run
diagonally through the middle of what will be a major downtown intersection. It will be a scramble corner for freight trains, with
traffic held up in four directions.
Too bad, says Canadian Pacific Railway. The city, and everyone in it, can work around the tracks.
"We have no intention or desire to relocate," pronounced a CPR spokesperson, reinforcing 123 years of western animus for the
railways.
Somewhat more accommodating is Canadian National Railway, which does not rule out relocation of at least its most obstructive downtown
tracks. "Not ruling out" is a lot better than "too bad," but it still doesn't get the tracks moved.
Maybe we could pressure the railways by changing the rules with respect to right of way. Instead of vehicular traffic waiting for
trains, let's make trains wait for vehicular traffic. We'll just turn the flashing lights and the swinging barriers 90 degrees so they
block the tracks instead of the road. Then the railways can wait for us for a change and see how they like it.
Of course, there probably are all kinds of legal reasons why this can't be done. Even so, it might shame the railways to have to
invoke them.
Train tracks or not, extending 25th to Idylwyld is long overdue.
The first time I drove through Saskatoon was about 30 years ago, at night, during a blizzard. All I wanted was to get through the city
en route to Prince Albert. Instead, I got lost after trying to take 25th through to Idylwyld.
This did not contribute to a favourable first impression of the city. What kind of crazy, mixed-up place had major
thoroughfares that didn't connect? Where else did the main route through town simply end in a labyrinth of poorly marked,
ill-lit side streets?
When this project is finished, drivers will at last be able take 25th through to Idylwyld, where they can then wait for a great long
freight train.
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