BANFF – The Town of Banff’s negotiations with Canadian Pacific railway for a safe pedestrian crossing across the train tracks at the industrial compound are chugging along.
As town council looked to cut the capital budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of pushing back a $30,338 budget related to a tunnel or pedestrian bridge was brought up.
But administrative officials didn’t want to see the money cut from the budget, saying they are in positive discussions with CP and the project could potentially qualify for post COVID-19 stimulus funding.
“That money is design money and work in conjunction with CP,” said Adrian Field, the Town of Banff’s engineering director. “We do have momentum and we do want to keep going on that design work."
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Locals illegally cross the Canadian Pacific railway line as a shortcut between Marmot Crescent and the industrial compound, which is a significant employment hub for many in town and an area that’s beginning to see more residential development.
CP has installed signage warning pedestrians against trespassing on its property, and CP police patrol the area.
Salem Woodrow, a spokesperson for Canadian Pacific, said the railway, the Town of Banff and Parks Canada are working to find a solution to the ongoing trespassing issue between the Banff townsite and the industrial area.
“Discussions on cost-sharing for the project and final design are in progress,” she said.
Counters previously set up by the municipality indicate there’s more than 30,000 crossings a month in that location between Marmot Crescent and the compound.
In 2001, a 43-year-old woman was hit and injured by a freight train as she walked along the train tracks near the industrial compound.
Walking Banff Avenue to the industrial compound takes about 30 minutes longer than using the illegal shortcut across the train tracks, or about 10 minutes longer for those riding bikes.
Banff's Municipal Planning Commission has also recommended a safe crossing in the area, given approval of residential units in the industrial compound following a 2005 land use bylaw amendment that allowed for small apartment residential dwellings.
A $15,000 feasibility study for an at-grade crossing was originally approved in Banff’s capital plan in 2011, and another $150,000 for construction the following year. The project was cancelled when CP indicated it was only open to an overpass or tunnel.
