Rail yard fuel-transfer plan spurs residents’ fears
Residents living next to the Aberdeen rail yard say they’re worried about the safety implications of a new fuel transfer station proposed by Canadian Pacific Railway.
CP has told the city it is looking at building a “small liquid transload facility” that would receive furnace oil and other flammable liquids somewhere within the sprawling rail yard bounded by Studholme Road, Aberdeen Avenue and Highway 403.
“I would certainly like to know what that means and what dangers exist, if any,” said Sue Prestedge, who heads the condo board of one of several townhouse complexes along Beddoe Drive and Studholme Road.
Prestedge said the 100-plus residents in the area only learned of the possibility of a fuel offloading facility after asking questions about what turned out to be unrelated construction of dirt berms along Studholme late last year.
“I’m told the city has no jurisdiction over the (federally regulated) rail yard. OK, but I still think residents have a right to know what is under consideration.”
Ward councillor Aidan Johnson agreed, adding he has “significant safety concerns” if an oil storage facility were to be contemplated near residents’ homes, although he also admitted he doesn’t know what, if any, existing fuel storage equipment might already exist on the 50-acre rail yard.
Johnson said he is seeking more information from the fire department and city’s solicitor.
In a meeting last fall, CP and Transcare Logistics Corporation told Hamilton fire officials the proposed facility would receive furnace oil and “low-grade flammable liquids,” said Fire Chief Dave Cunliffe.
He said fire officials “advised both parties to ensure compliance with all applicable processes and regulations” and to share more project design details with the department as they become available.
CP’s correspondence with the city to date does not specify a size or location for the facility in relation to homes bordering the rail yard.
CP spokesperson Andy Cummings was not able to respond to The Spectator’s questions about the transloading facility before deadline.
But in response to a previous question, he said the soil excavation that spurred resident questions in the first place is part of a warehouse expansion project meant to increase the yard’s ability to handle drywall and steel.
“This work, as with other CP projects, will meet or exceed federal codes and standards, in addition to all applicable safety and environmental requirements,” he said.
Previous CP community liaison correspondence with the city emphasized the potential fuel transfer facility is in the “conceptual design phase,” so additional details are not publicly available.
“CP will inform the public once final decisions are taken with respect to this project,” reads email correspondence shared by Johnson’s office.
The property has been used as a rail yard since the early 1900s, originally by the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway. CP uses the yard for rail-truck transfers, railcar switching and train building.