CN Rail rejects pleas for a safer river crossing

The Tk’lemlups Indian Band in Kamloops vows to continue the fight for a pedestrian walkway alongside a railway bridge on their land, despite rejection of the proposal by owners Canadian National Railway.

For the last decade, said Tk’lemlup band Chief Shane Gottfriedson, his community has been pleading with CN Rail to build the walkway on the rail bridge that crosses the Thompson River and connects his community to the adjacent Riverside Park.
“It’s always been the number one item on our [band] agenda,” Gottfriedson said.

The band, along with support from the City of Kamloops, approached CN last spring with their request to approve the walkway and contribute to project costs. In August the three parties met to discuss the safety risks to pedestrians using the rail bridge.

Then in a letter dated Oct. 5 and addressed to the band and the city, CN announced it would not consider building the walkway, citing safety concerns.

“Safety is a priority for us at CN and putting a walking trail on our bridge generates an unacceptably high level of risk,” said CN spokesperson Emily Hamer.

But Gottfriedson argues that the likelihood of public risk is greater without a walkway in place.

 “When you look at the number of people we’ve lost that have fallen off that bridge, it’s always been the number one priority for our people,” the chief said. He said six band members have died falling from the bridge in recent years.

“The reality is that a lot of people don’t have access to transit and some don’t have access to vehicles and walking is their only mode of transportation.”

While band members can use an alternative route, many choose to use the rail bridge as a shortcut.

“[Using] the alternative ‘red bridge’ increases the walk,” Gottfriedson said, adding that “crossing the [railway] bridge is a risk they take.”

But CN said the rail bridge attracts a low volume of pedestrians.
“We conducted a two-week around-the-clock survey monitoring the number of people that used the rail bridge in comparison to the number of people that used the red bridge,” said Hamer.
Findings showed that in a two-week span about 1,600 pedestrians used the safer red bridge crossway compared to the 36 who walked the CN rail bridge.

“We were pleased to see that the vast majority of community members were taking the safer route,” Hamer said.

But Gottfriedson claims he has never seen the survey or any report associated with the findings.

“That survey is probably biased,” he said. “They’re more concerned with liability,” he added.

When asked what the cost would be to CN for the walkway, Hamer said the company “would not speculate.”

Gottfriedson said CN should be more accommodating to the First Nation, especially considering the rail line is on band land.

“Historically, CN Rail appropriated the land and for many years we’ve had a major railway running through our reserve,” he said.
“I think it would have been a good corporate initiative for CN to work with us,” he added. “[But] they don’t want to work with us. It’s frustrating,” he said.

Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar said it was not the numbers of people that are using the bridge that should be the concern, but the fatalities that are occurring.

Gottfriedson said the band’s new leadership will further explore avenues to secure a pedestrian walkway for the community.
“We’ve got a newly-elected council so we are going to sit down and strategize what our next steps will be. We want to develop a strategy and initiative that benefits all of our citizens,” said Gottfriedson.

Milobar said the city continues to stand behind the Tk’emlups First Nation. Council plans to send a letter to CN expressing their disappointment with the decision.

The band is also considering lobbying the Ministry of Transportation to assist in their request.