Pilot project to help Saskatoon emergency crews avoid trains

Rail crossing delays for Saskatoon emergency responders could become a thing of the past if a city pilot project is successful.

City staff are preparing to install sensors at four major rail crossings across Saskatoon. The devices will warn emergency dispatchers when a train is blocking the road.

Currently, first responders don’t find out there’s a train until they’re stuck on the wrong side of a crossing from a call.

“The amount of time it takes to travel where we’re stopped by the train, we’ve lost all that time,” Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Rodger said.

The new sensors, called cell modems, will allow computer-assisted dispatch systems to choose a crews on the right side of a crossing to respond to a call.

Saskatoon police Supt. Randy Huisman told 650 CKOM the sensor system wouldn’t make a big difference in response times for officers, because they’re already patrolling all over the city.

“It really wouldn’t change a lot,” he said. “We send people from all four directions.”

He added police are often the first to know if a train crossing is blocked — especially if it’s simply a malfunctioning set of crossing arms.

“(The public) is phoning us on 911 several times … saying ‘hey there’s a problem,'” he said.

Huisman is looking forward to the test though, because the city is also planning on using social media to warn the public when the sensors report blocked crossings.

“It’ll keep railway crossings from plugging up traffic for blocks at a time,” he said. “Hopefully … people will stay away if they’re told.”

City administration has mused about the possibility of installing electronic signs well ahead of crossings to warn drivers of trains passing through.

For now, the city is planning on deploying the test sensors at the following locations:

• Idylwyld Drive and 25th Street
• 33rd Street and Edmonton Avenue
• 22nd Street and Avenue F
• Warman Road and 33rd Street