Train horns keep Kitchener residents awake at night, 'driving me bananas,' councillor says

Residents who live near downtown Kitchener, Ont., say they're fed up with loud train horns, especially the ones in the middle of the night.

The horns are being sounded at the level crossing at Lancaster Street and Victoria Street as trains move through the area, which is undergoing construction.

Michelle Stelter can clearly hear the train horn at her home, which is about a kilometre away from the intersection.

"I noticed one night [in mid-April] the train horns were very frequent … So 1:00 in the morning, 3:00 and 4:30 to 5:00. They are loud no matter what time of the day," Stelter told CBC News.

"I'm sleep deprived, so sure it's a personal issue but hopefully I'm not the only person."

'It is also driving me bananas'

Ward 10 Coun. Stephanie Stretch say she's received a number of complaints from people. Stretch, who can also hear the train horns from her home, said the work was started around April 17 and was supposed to take a week. More than a month later, it's still going.

"I can say it is also driving me bananas," she said.

Stretch spoke to someone at Metrolinx who explained the trains need to take extra precautions right now until the construction work is done.

"A piece of equipment and signage isn't up to regulation. Something has broken and I'm not exactly sure the specifics, but it's required through regulation that the trains use an extra safety measure when crossing at road level right now until that piece is fixed and completed," Stretch said.

CBC K-W reached out to Metrolinx for a comment about what work exactly is being done at the site and is awaiting a response.

Resolved by the end of May

Kitchener Centre MPP Ainslinn Clancy posted a video on social media and said she has also received calls from constituents about the train horns, which she has heard from her own home, too.

"There are a lot of rules about honking a horn to make sure people are safe and no one gets hit by a train," said Clancy.

"We got confirmation this horn honking should be resolved by the end of May."

GO trains, Via passenger trains and CN freight trains all operate at the crossing.

Stelter says she hopes the noise ends soon and that solutions are found for future railway construction projects.

"I'm also curious to know what can be done for the long-term for reducing train noise in these inner city neighbourhoods which will be becoming more inner city I imagine with more development," she said.

LISTEN | Why are people in downtown Kitchener hearing train horns at night?:

The Morning Edition - K-W6:03Why are people in downtown Kitchener hearing train horns at night?

The sound of the train horn is often romantic. But for some people in Kitchener, it's ruining their sleep. CBC K-W's Joe Pavia tracks down the problem.