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Last year we resolved over 23,000 calls from concerned citizens, and we will continue to make sure the right resources and professionals are in place and ready to respond. Because we're here for animals. And for you. While seemingly end- less train whistles irk many residents in Water- loo, one neighbourhood is facing another issue - idling. Residents of Willow Street - just south of the uptown core - have been dealing with a noisy idling locomotive that sits on the spur line for as long as two hours while it waits to proceed north. At times, the locomotive - with its diesel engine still running - has sat on the tracks for more than two hours. "You can feel the ground shake," said Ste- phen Harding, whose home backs on to the spur line. "It wakes me up every time." The CN locomotive is not supposed to be stop- ping in that spot, however. About a month ago, a de- railer device was in- stalled, along with a red stop light. The derailer and stop light signal the start of a joint service area that is controlled by Keo- lis, the company that takes care of the light rail transit system. When freight trains want to pro- ceed through, they must ask permission from Keo- lis before proceeding. A lag in the clearance pro- cess is causing one to two- hour delays as the crews await further instruc- tions. If a train approaches and is too big for the infra- structure or it is a run- away train, the derailer will kick in and "gently" push the locomotive off its tracks, causing it to stop. While Harding is at ground zero in terms of proximity to the idling train, the sound and vi- brations can be felt throughout the communi- ty. Neighbours across the road - about 50 metres away - can still hear and feel the train as it idles. "They are a nuisance," said William Sivanivec, who is Harding's neigh- bour. The train often wakes the entire family, including Sivanivec's 10- month-old and four-year- old children. While both Sivanivec and Harding realize that they live on a rail line and the noise comes with the territory, they said it was much better when the train just passed through. "When it stops here and starts thundering, it wakes you up," said Siva- nivec. "When it just goes by, it's fine." The train that travels on that stretch services Elmira's Lanxess (former- ly Chemtura) as well as other companies and con- nects to the main rail line. For the last 20 years, Go- derich-Exeter Railway subleased the line from CN, but that sublease end- ed in November of 2018. The Region of Waterloo owns the rail line, but CN has haulage rights. In 2013, former Chroni- cle reporter James Jack- son investigated the trains passing through the city and determined that liquid hydrocarbons and sodium hydroxide are just some of the materials that were moved through the city. According to Josh Gra- ham, supervisor of corri- dor management for the Region of Waterloo, CN has agreed to reach out to Keolis before they depart to alleviate the idling in the residential neighbour- hood. "CN has agreed to en- sure their crews are per- forming the appropriate communication with Keo- lis prior to exiting their rail yard," said Graham in an email to the Chronicle. For the last couple weeks, residents of up- town Waterloo were awo- ken in the early morning hours by a booming train whistle as the locomotive made its way down the tracks. After municipal politicians became in- volved, CN agreed that it would no longer sound its whistle at crossings. NEWS WATERLOO NEIGHBOURHOOD FRUSTRATED BY IDLING TRAINS ADAM JACKSON ajackson@ waterloochronicle.ca TRAINS OFTEN STOP ON THE SPUR LINE FOR 1 TO 2 HOURS WAITING FOR CLEARANCE FROM KEOLIS THE ISSUE: TRAINS IDLING ALONG THE SPUR LINE IN WATERLOO LOCAL IMPACT: A NEIGHBOURHOOD HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO HAVE IT RESOLVEDTHE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: AFTER ADAM JACKSON WROTE ABOUT TRAIN WHISTLES, STEPHEN HARDING REACHED OUT TO SHARE HIS CHALLENGES. STORY BEHIND THE STORY After Adam Jackson wrote about train whistles, Stephen Harding reached out to share his challenges.