Crescent Beach Speed Boundary

Follow-up Material

24th Ave BNSF track curve

Crescent Beach, Surrey, B.C.

Prepared for: Transport Canada

Introduction

Thank you for allowing us to present the follow-up material identified by Transport

Canada in a meeting between the Crescent Beach Property Owners Association

(CBPOA), and Mike Henderson and Luc Chamberlain in June 2014.

“Transport Canada is committed to listening to the voices and views of Canadians,

and to including them in decision making. Effective and meaningful public

involvement is essential to enable Transport Canada to fulfil its mandate, deliver

programs, launch new initiatives and build public trust.“

After Lac-Mégantic, the CBPOA decided to play an active local role in the national

goal to improve rail safety. A lesson from Lac-Mégantic was that citizens share the

responsibility of identifying local opportunities for improvement, along with railway

operators and Transport Canada (TC).

Our common goal: Safety

It was observed that on occasion, some north bound trains would enter the beach

at a reduced speed in anticipation of the upcoming swing bridge speed limit. These

trains introduced minimal additional wait times at the two beach crossings, but

greatly improved braking related noise and vibration impact to the community.

It was identified by the CBPOA and TC that a nationally unique opportunity exists

for Crescent Beach to mitigate impact and increase safety if the existing speed

restriction at the Nicomekl swing bridge was extended south to 24th Ave.

Following the occurences of UDEs in Crescent Beach, Transport Canada outlined

to the CBPOA the required process of statistical due dilligence needed to enact the

desired speed restriction extension. This presentation is the result of that effort.

2013 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019

Jun 26

Aug 2 Dec 27

Jan 5 Jul 23 May 30

Jul 21

Mar 15Speed boundary

proposed to:BNSF

Mar 15BNSF: Studying

speed boundary

Jun 4Speed boundary

proposed to: Transport Canada

Aug 11Transport

Canada & BNSF:

Perform track

inspection

Jun 9BNSF: Implement operational

changes to manage failures

UDE: Undesired Emergency

All failures occurred at the 24th Ave track curve,

and blocked all access to Crescent Beach.

UDEs are a contributing factor to train derailment.

2015

Feb 25City of Surrey:

Motion #1 for a

speed boundary

Sep 17City of Surrey:

Motion #2 for a

speed boundary

Distribution of UDEs at 24th Ave. curve

Dec 7

2020

Feb 17

2016 2017 2018 2019

Mar 10Jan 28

2015

Distribution of slides near 24th Ave. curve

Mar 29 Oct 17

Jan 30

Jan 29 Jan 4

Since 2015: 18 slides from 18-24th Ave.

Three Emergency Accesses Points

Appendix

• Photos for each of the known track-covering slides between 24th and 16th Ave.

• The time-log of track related UDE and slide events between 24th and 16th Ave.

Events are also gazetted by one or more of: The Peace Arch News, Surrey 911

non-emergency phone records, Surrey street camera footage.

Slides (1 of 9)

SURREY

CRESCENT BEACH

PROMENADE

Jan 4 SLIDE

24th AVE ACCESS

Jan 4 / 2019

Jan 4 / 2019

Jan 4 / 2019Jan 4 / 2019 Jan 4 / 2019

Slides (2 of 9)

Dec 2018: slide w/ tree#1 Dec 2018: tree#2

Slides (3 of 9)

2018/01/30 : slide1.a 2018/01/30 : slide1.b

Slides (4 of 9)

2018/01/29 : slide1 2018/01/29 : slide2.a 2018/01/29 : slide2.b

Slides (5 of 9)

2018/01/29 : slide3 2018/01/29 : slide4 2018/01/29 : slide5

Slides (6 of 9)

2017/03/29 : slide1 2017/03/29 : slide2

Slides (7 of 9)

2017/03/29 : slide3 2017/03/29 : slide4

Slides (8 of 9)

2016/03/10 2015/01/25 slide 1.a 2015/01/25 slide 1.b

Slides (9 of 9)

2015/01/25 slide 2 2014/01/22 (one year earlier)

BNSF / Transport Canada MilestonesMar 15, 2013 Meeting with Courtney Wallace and Jules Vanpopta (BNSF)

The mitigation benefits of an expanded speed boundary to the community of Crescent Beach are presented by the CBPOA in a meeting with Courtney and

Jules. The speed boundary request is recorded in the meeting minutes.

Sep 27, 2013 Email from Courtney Wallace (BNSF) following CBPOA requests for an update:

“We have taken your (speed boundary) suggestion under consideration and are continuing to study this.”

Jan 8, 2014 Meeting with Courtney Wallace and Jules Vanpopta (BNSF)

No information is provided regarding the promised BNSF speed boundary study. The speed boundary is again identified as an action item in the meeting

minutes sent by Courtney: ”Review speed limits through Crescent Beach per our discussion.” Multiple follow up requests by the CBPOA for a status update of

the speed boundary study are not returned by BNSF.

Jun 4, 2014 Meeting with Michael Henderson and Luc Chamberland (TC, Head Pacific Region / Head Engineering)

Identification of proximity issues at Crescent Beach and the proposal for a speed boundary extension to include the south beach track curve. Prior to the

meeting, Luc visits the south Crescent Beach track and noted several beach going trespassers. Luc and Mike agree to either personally represent the proposal

to James Titsworth at BNSF, or to arrange for the CBPOA to represent the proposal to BNSF directly.

2015 Follow-up emails are exchanged between the CBPOA and (TC) Marc Gringon and James Horbay on the speed boundary proposal and rail

related issues. Marc represents the speed boundary proposal to BNSF. On May 15, Marc sends a request to Jess Ketchum asking Jess to provide the CBPOA

with the appropriate BNSF management contact to receive a direct presentation of the proposal by the CBPOA. On June 9, Marc sends the CBPOA an email

stating that BNSF did not respond to his request. In that email Marc provides the CBPOA with Jess’s email address and suggests the CBPOA try to initiate

contact directly. In a separate email on June 9, James provides the CBPOA with the update: “BNSF believe the noise and separation issues can be effectively

mitigated by working with individual locomotive engineers to plan throttle and brake transitions very conservatively.”

Feb 6, 2015 Email: Robert Dick / Trevor Heryet / Marc Gringon (TC)

A UDE at the Crescent Beach south track curve occurs at the location identified as a point of risk in a June 5, 2014 email to TC. The train breaks in half and

block all access into and out of Crescent Beach for 4 hours. Prior to this break, 3 earlier breaks and UDEs occurred at the same location. The evaluation for an

expanded speed boundary is re-requested by the CBPOA. The CBPOA are told by Transport Canada that the process must first allow BNSF the opportunity to

make improvements before Transport Canada can begin the process of enacting an expanded speed boundary.

Surrey Milestones (1 of 3)

Surrey Milestones (2 of 3)

Surrey Milestones (3 of 3)

Federal TRAN Milestones (1 of 2)

MP Watts motion

(To the TRAN)

Federal TRAN Milestones (2 of 2)

Known failures since 2014 (1 of 6)

Jun 2014 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2014/06/26 07:15 - 45 minutes.

Aug 2014 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2014/08/02 09:35 - 180 minutes at McBride, 10 minutes at Beecher.

Dec 2014 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2014/12/27 10:15 - 90 minutes.

Known failures since 2014 (2 of 6)

Jan 2015 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2015/01/05 01:45 - 280 minutes.

Jan 2015 Three slides from bluff cover track in 3 locations2015/01/28

2016 – 2017 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.

Mar 2016 Slide from bluff covers track2016/03/10

Known failures since 2014 (3 of 6)

Smr 2016 Tree from slope covers track and slide detection wire

Mar 2017 Four slides from bluff cover track in 4 locations2017/03/29

Jul 2017 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure Stopped train

prevents an ambulance from entering Crescent Beach.2017/07/23 – 7 minutes.

Oct 2017 Tree from slope covers track and slide detection wire2017/10/17

Known failures since 2014 (4 of 6)

Jan 2018 Five slides from bluff cover track in 6 locations2018/01/29

Jan 2018 Slide from bluff cover track2018/01/30

May 2018 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure - Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2018/05/30 - 45 minutes.

Jul 2018 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2018/07/21 – 120 minutes.

Known failures since 2014 (5 of 6)

Dec 2018 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2018/12/07 – 20 minutes, 140 minutes.

Dec 2018 A slide and 2 fallen trees from bluff cover track in 2

locations

Jan 2019 Slide from bluff cover track. Amtrak service halted for

more than 48 hours.2018/01/04

Known failures since 2014 (6 of 6)

Feb 2019 UDE: Mechanical / operational failure Blocks all

residential and emergency access to Crescent Beach.2019/02/17 – 30 minutes, 90 minutes.

Safety depends on us all.