A Lakeshore man has had enough with freight trains speeding past his home at all hours of the night, waking him from a deep sleep and he doubts he's alone.
When Vince Renaud moved into his Couture Beach home 11 years ago, VIA Rail passenger trains sped by the house twice a day, the last one at 11pm. The only freight trains that used the track passed by at around 7am. Since CN decommissioned a track in Tilbury, the freight trains, some pulling more than 100 cars, have rumbled past the house at 3am.
Renaud says he hasn't had a good night's sleep in two months.
"It stopped right in front of my house, and it sat there for about 35 minutes with the engines running," he says. "The crossing guards were down. The lights were flashing. The bells were clanging."
Renaud says it feels like an earthquake each time the trains pass.
"From Lighthouse Cove to Tecumseh, there's 20 miles of tracks that run through residential areas."
He says he's called the Ontario Provincial Police to lodge a noise complaint, and spoken with officials at the Town of Lakeshore.
CN Rail spokesperson Patrick Waldron says the railroad was aware there were residents living close to the track when the schedule was changed recently to meet the needs of a customer. He says residents concerned about the schedule can call 1-888-888-5909 or email CN Rail at contact@cn.ca, but says there are no plans to change the schedule again.