The Town of Aurora is considering conducting safety assessments at its level train crossings, so it may potentially silence train whistles in town down the tracks.
There are currently four level train crossings, located at Engelhard Drive, Wellington Street East, Centre Street and St. John’s Sideroad.
Councillor Ron Weese made a member motion in September asking for train whistle cessation to be assessed. He pointed to the forthcoming increase in train traffic, as Metrolinx works to bring all-day, two-way GO train service to the Barrie line, saying it was a "quality of life issue" for residents living near the tracks.
Nancy Fleming, manager of engineering services, told council at its Jan. 14 meeting that while the town had included $95,000 in its 2025 budget for a safety assessment at St. John’s Sideroad, council would need to approve an additional $105,000 for assessments at other crossings.
She also noted improvements were made by Metrolinx to the St. John’s Sideroad level crossing, but it still needed a safety assessment. Weese said he hoped the town would be able to partner with Metrolinx and York Region to “help us out from a budgetary standpoint.”
While the safety assessments could pave the way for train whistle cessation at Aurora's level crossings, Mayor Tom Mrakas said in a social media post Wednesday he had concerns about the liability it could cause for the town.
He said the town would have to sign an indemnity agreement with Metrolinx, which could see it “exposed to a sizeable, uninsured risk.”
Mrakas did note several other York Region municipalities have pursued train whistle cessation, including Stouffville, Markham and King.
“While I respect their decision to assume this risk, I was elected to make decisions that protect the Town of Aurora and its residents from potential harm,” he wrote. “And I cannot support any decision that would put our municipality at such substantial financial risk – even “bankruptcy” as stated in the report.”
“This shift in liability to the town is, in my view, unacceptable,” added Mrakas. “The cost of eliminating the train whistle should not come at such extraordinary financial risk for our residents.”
The report will come to a future council meeting.
