Calgary Roads

[CalgaryLankan]

Jim Stevenson Ward 3 Alderman mentions in the Northern Hills Community Association (NHCA) latest newsletter that 96th Avenue NE /Deerfoot/Airport Trail connecter will be open in September. This is a great news, but it looks like lot more finishing work to complete in a short time if they are to open it in September.

[crane_guy]

can anyone explain to me why there always seems to be trains running between 7 and 8 am and 3 to 4 pm ?

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by crane_guy

can anyone explain to me why there always seems to be trains running between 7 and 8 am and 3 to 4 pm ?

Confirmation bias, mostly.

[You Need A Thneed]

Because trains have places to go?

[Cage]

Originally Posted by crane_guy

can anyone explain to me why there always seems to be trains running between 7 and 8 am and 3 to 4 pm ?

IIRC base operating plan did have a train scheduled to go through Calgary at those times. I do remember the 3-4pm train (actually the train was pretty much always 4-4:10pm) as it would shake GCS as it went by, I always thought this was a tip of the hat from the engineer to rail control.

[srperrycgy]

This vid was making the rounds on Twitter this afternoon after the storm blew in. This sign gantry on SB Deerfoot before 32nd Ave. became dangerous as a result of the winds.

• Video Link

[artvandelay]

That sign is just grooving to some bangin' Bhangra beats!

[5seconds]

Does anyone know what the earthworks is on the west side of Crowchild Trail, between Bow Trail and 17th avenue, in that dog park? Just curious. It looked like a storage place for excess soil from some project (Westbrook LRT?) but now it looks packed down, maybe permanent?

[mersar]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

Does anyone know what the earthworks is on the west side of Crowchild Trail, between Bow Trail and 17th avenue, in that dog park? Just curious. It looked like a storage place for excess soil from some project (Westbrook LRT?) but now it looks packed down, maybe permanent?

City is doing some improvements to the park there. Sound berm is a part of it.

[5seconds]

Originally Posted by mersar

City is doing some improvements to the park there. Sound berm is a part of it.

Interesting, thanks! I wonder how effective a sound berm is there when the surrounding houses are so high.

[mersar]

I think the berm is more for the benefit of park users than the houses.

[5seconds]

Makes sense, thanks.

[Innersoul1]

Originally Posted by 5seconds

Interesting, thanks! I wonder how effective a sound berm is there when the surrounding houses are so high.

I drove by yesterday and noticed that for the first time. My thoughts are the same as yours!!

I imagine when the whole bow/crow interchange is re-done that park will get nicely torn up!

[kw5150]

This was funded by the community. They have been raising funds for YEARS. There will be sound wall on top of the berm. The height was calculated with sections showing the houses and cars. The plan is to deflect some of the noise, not all. The wheelchair access ramp will also be re-done (I think) as it is no where near meeting the barrier-free standards. This project has been ongoing for 7 years when the preliminary plans were sketched. The project was then taken over by another entity so hopefully it all turns out ok.

Originally Posted by Innersoul1

I drove by yesterday and noticed that for the first time. My thoughts are the same as yours!!

I imagine when the whole bow/crow interchange is re-done that park will get nicely torn up!

[crane_guy]

edit

[crane_guy]

..

[andasen]

Originally Posted by crane_guy

i have been stuck many times in "rush hour" as a train crosses Glenmore trail, Barlow trail, ect. is it really necessary for trains to operate at these times ?
As an example are they running at 8 am because they are restricted to run before 8 am? noise bylaw? or is done to arrive at the destination at a certain time ? maybe simply because the shift starts at 7 am ?
i know trains don't only depart and arrive at rush hour, Since we don't want to build bridges over railway tracks on major routes, why cant they be restricted for a few hours at high traffic times ?
do commercial trucks have any similar restrictions ?

Unfortunately the city has very little say in when trains can run at glenmore crossing as it is on the mainline. Rail is federally regulated so the best the city can do if it can't afford to build overpasses is say pretty pretty please. For Barlow the same is true its just that CP/CN (can't remember whose line it is right there) would actually take a moment to listen to the city's pleading rather than the mainline where we would be laughed out of the room nice and quick. Besides we need to build Karma with one of them in order to maybe, perhaps be able to convince I believe CP to allow up to use their track for a commuter system some time in the future.

[MalcolmTucker]

Restricting movement for a couple hours is a huge cost to the railways through Calgary, especially if we are talking about the CP mainline. It is at close to maximum capacity (they recently or are currently spending millions on a debottlenecking project to add capacity for three more trains a day) so if the city had the power it would really hurt the railway.

It may seem annoying at time, but there is a reason railways have the powers they do.

[You Need A Thneed]

The new CN intermodal yard will greatly reduce the number of Barlow and 52nd Street trains, since the majority of CN trains won't be entering the city.

The new 52nd St bridge goes over the CP mainline. That pretty much just leaves the CP mainline/Glenmore Trail as a problem crossing, and hopefully that one is taken care of in the next few years too.

[freeweed]

We have level crossings for trains in this city??

I'm only half-kidding, too. In my 9 years here I think I've been stuck waiting for a train once, and that was off 9th Ave at the one crossing that isn't an underpass. For a city that was (is?) a rail hub, I'm astounded at how few trains I actually see - and how I virtually never get stuck because of them.

Contrast this to other Canadian rail centres where it's not uncommon to be stuck waiting for a train once a week.