Derailments have reader asking questions

There’s been three major CN derailments in one month in Northern Ontario, one of them in our backyard — Gogama. Will this happen in the Greater Sudbury area?

The railway tracks that should be a real concern to the citizens of this community are the CN tracks that extend through the city from east to west.

These tracks were formerly Inco tracks carrying ore to the Copper Cliff smelter, and according to a reply from CN, this line has become a critical component of CN’s overall rail network.

These tracks cross several major arteries in the city, unlike the CPR tracks, which cross one main artery — Elm Street. They ramble through very densely populated sections, including schoolyards and playgrounds.

In the past several years, we have witnessed a vast increase of CN trains travelling through our neighbourhood, in the west end. There are trains pulling approximately 100 cars transporting oil tanks and various types of chemicals and inflammable and caustic materials.

Let’s speak out and demand that our first priority is the safety of the citizens of this city.

Railways were initially created to transport people, not dangerous and harmful chemicals. It is time that they were moved out of urban areas and a great distance away from populated neighbourhoods.

Tony Sottile
Sudbury