Railways in Chilliwack

Railway Grade Crossing Standards and Regulations

Railway Grade Crossing Standards and Regulations are a set of documents that detail requirements for all existing and new railway grade crossings in Canada. New standards were brought into force for railways regulated by Transport Canada in November 2014 and for railways regulated by Technical Safety BC in September 2020.

The date for compliance for all crossings is January 1, 2028. The prime directive is to improve safety at rail/road grade crossings in terms of surface condition, signage, sightlines, geometry and circuitry.

CN Rail has completed the necessary works to meet requirements. Southern Railway is currently working on completing the necessary works to be compliant.

Upcoming Works

Southern Railway Crossing on Keith Wilson Road east of Hopedale Road will be upgraded to have the following:

Flashing lights, bells and gates
Railway signal
New road markings and signage

Knight Road at the Valley Rail Trail east of Vedder Road is currently under detailed design for this Southern Railway crossing. Upgrades will include:

Crossing flashing lights, bells and gates
Civil works connecting to bike lanes and sidewalks
Crosswalk improvements for the Valley Rail Trail

New Railway Crossing Signals

Newly installed railway crossing flashing lights, bells and
gate systems are now operational at the following two
Southern Railway locations:

Yarrow Central Road east of Wilson Road
Vedder Road north of Spruce Drive

Surface Crossing Repairs/Improvements

Constant vibration of vehicles and trains over the crossing surface leads to the deterioration of the ties and surface materials.

The following railway crossings and rail repairs were completed in 2024:

CN Railway

Lickman Road
Prairie Central Road
Yale Road
Annis Road

Background

Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) and Southern Railway (SRY Rail link) operate two railway lines within the City of Chilliwack.

40 km of railway lines run through Chilliwack (approx. 24 km of CN and 16 km of SRY)
31 railway crossing locations intersect with our roadway network
Railways help reduce congestion on highways
Transportation of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America each year
Railway crossings intersect roads along their route and require maintenance and repairs from time to time