A malfunction at the Northridge Drive rail crossing sometime after noon on Nov. 24 snarled traffic in the area leaving some stuck for more than half an hour.
Officials with CP Rail say they are looking into the malfunction and CP Police are investigating after it appears someone removed the rail arms to get traffic moving.
Okotoks resident Jenni Bailey said she spent 30 minutes sitting in traffic on Northridge Drive on the hill coming into the river valley during the malfunction.
She said it was frustrating because she had nowhere else to go.
“ I was stuck on the hill, you can't turn anywhere, you can't get out of there,” she said.
Eventually traffic started moving slowly and was eventually able to get across the tracks.
She said traffic could have been backed up for longer if the arms were not removed.
Okotoks resident and area business owner Kerri Williamson estimated the arms were down for at least 30 minutes.
“ It was at a time in the afternoon where people are going to work or dropping off kids or picking kids up,” she said.
Williamson said the malfunction caused traffic chaos in the area and made it difficult for people trying to get in and out of businesses in the area.
“ Traffic was backed up both ways for quite a while, no one was getting in or out,” she said.
Williamson doesn't know how long it took before CP Rail crews eventually arrived, but she said the response should've been quicker.
“ We were surprised it took that long,” she said. “ I can't really tell you how long, but too long.”
CP Rail spokesperson Salem Woodrow said the company is looking into what caused the malfunction.
The company was notified about the malfunction at 12:35 p.m. and she said a maintenance crew was dispatched a minute later.
Woodrow said the arms are programed to go down in the event of a malfunction as a safety precaution and CP does its best to respond as quickly as possible.
“ We do regret the inconvenience that it did cause to motorists in the area when the crossing did malfunction, unfortunately electrical problems do happen on occasion and CP did dispatch a signal maintainer immediately to correct the problem,” she said.
Woodrow said each crossing has a marker number and phone number people can use to report a malfunction, while response times depend on the location of the malfunction and maintenance crews.
Woodrow said they are also seeking assistance from anyone who may have seen someone remove the crossing arms.
“ If anyone saw anyone remove the crossing, if anyone saw any acts of vandalism, we would encourage them to contact CP police,” she said.
Anyone with information in this incident is asked to contact CP Police at 1-800-716-9132.
