Keeping rails safe

CN police are back to educate

WATERLOO REGION — They disappeared for two decades.

But this month, as a 21-year lease giving Goderich-Exeter rail use of 160 kilometres of Canadian National track along what is called the Guelph subdivision comes to an end, CN police constables are back in the region.

You can already see them promoting safety at railway crossings that will revert to CN control on Nov. 15.

“We’ll be in marked police vehicles,” said Const. Richard Di Biase, a community services officer of the CN police service, based in Vaughan.

“A lot of people don’t know who we are. We’re federal police officers. We have to attend Ontario police college. We’re no different than the Waterloo Regional Police Service. We’re just dealing with, let’s say, a municipality that’s like a spider’s web instead of a very round region.”

That CN spider web includes area tracks returning to CN control — from Cambridge to Guelph Junction and from Kitchener west to Stratford-London. Freight and passenger trains move along those tracks.

“We took this line back because we’re always looking for ways to expand our business,” CN spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said.

The province is studying Cambridge Guelph branch through Hespeler as a possible future Cambridge link to GO Train service to Toronto.

CN will begin running trains on the spur line from Kitchener to Elmira, which is owned by the Region of Waterloo. CN trains will also use the line between Kitchener and Georgetown, a line owned by Metrolinx.

Already, CN constables are watching their returning track in the region for trespassing while educating drivers about crossing safety. And yes, they have the ability to write you up for transgressions like speeding and distracted or impaired driving over those crossings.

“These things cause concern,” Di Biase said. “So if we can be there to educate and save lives, that’s what we’re going to do at our crossings.”

Di Biase says the CN police service has already been active in the region, adding some upgrades to the simulated train crossing at the Children’s Safety Village on Maple Grove Road.

“Look, Listen, Live” emblems were added to enhance children’s awareness of what to do at crossings.

CN, Di Biase said, donated the crossing when the village opened in 1992.

“We’ve policed Kitchener-Waterloo for generations,” said Di Biase, noting the exception of their recent absence.

“Now, we’re returning to the community. Our main objective is to save lives.”

ALTIERA ESSENSA CHILDREN’S SAFETY VILLAGE Canadian National police are promoting safety. Const. Richard Di Biase of the CN Police Service; Ian O’Meara, CN signals supervisor; Jeremy Schilstra, CN safety technician; Bradley Jones, CN safety and communication maintainer; and Const. Carol Grandy of the Waterloo police pose at the rail crossing at the Children’s Safety Village in Cambridge.