Editor:
I was very pleased to see Global TV and local coverage of the latest landslide on the railway lines between White Rock and Crescent Beach. Many of our residents are unaware of how many landslides there are on this BNSF line year after year when the rainy season comes, and of the reporting procedures that are required.
Note that there were three slides but only one was big enough to require action by BNSF to stop Amtrak proceeding for 48 hours. Amtrak, by law, was required to bus passengers for the last leg of the journey to Vancouver.
But, note that freight trains can resume as soon as the track is cleared. Amtrak will not risk human passenger lives but dangerous goods travelling on BNSF trains (within that 48 hours) will still go through even though there is risk of more landslides coming down.
Can you imagine a railcar filled with chlorine gas being pushed down by a landslide onto sharp rocks below in this area?
Time for rail relocation, Mr. Hogg. Our MP.
Patricia Kealy, White Rock