Put a sock in Markham 11 p.m. train horns, outraged citizens say

Yorkregion.com
June 16, 2017
By Tim Kelly

The prospect of an 11 p.m. GO Train whistle-blast wake-up call starting June 26 has some Markham residents working hard to silence the horns.

Shanta Sundarason, who led the mega-thousand-name petition to stop train whistles in Markham that will commence with a ban next spring, is upset that the recent GO Train announcement of all-day two-way service on the Stouffville line will include an 11 p.m. late train that runs to the Lincolnville station in Stouffville.

That train will pass through Markham, sounding its whistle at each of the stops along the way.

And that's not on with Sundarason, who has contacted Metrolinx and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti in a bid to have the late train cancelled until next spring when all whistles are stopped at a one-time cost to Markham taxpayers of $6 million for train-crossing safety.

Sundarason said those who need the late-night service to the Lincolnville stop could take GO buses instead.

"The horns were supposed to stop before the implementation of all-day trains," Sundarason said.

"That train should not be coming through because there are kids that are going to be woken up, there will be people who get barely five-and-a-half hours of uninterrupted sleep. It will affect hundreds and hundreds of people," she said.

J. Paul Rodker Morrison agreed calling the 11 p.m. train horns coming through "an asinine time to run a train through our community, as long as the horns are still blasting."

Sundarason wants Mayor Frank Scarpitti to tell Metrolinx the train isn't allowed in Markham until the whistles stop next spring.

Scarpitti, who was at the announcement a few weeks ago at Unionville station when all-day, two-way service was announced on the line said he didn't realize the later train was 11 o'clock, but said, "I was thinking 8 or 9 o'clock. We're trying to get  some information and trying to see if we can get changes to that schedule."

He said he wants to see how many people need the later train and wondered whether "one (GO) bus may not be enough," to meet demand. "We need to see if there is some flexibility (in the schedule)."