I thought I would provide you with some updated information about the CP Rail Horn Test. Council President Lantry was able to convince CP Rail to hold off on their test for a few days so that we could try to get word out to the broader neighborhood about the test. They have indicated that they are likely to start the test this week--but they have not given us a specific date.

They have also indicated that they are sending a letter out to neighbors within a 1 mile radius of the yard to let them know about the test. I have attached a draft of this letter.

One thing that I want to point out is that the letter indicates that the testing will be taking place between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. We have been assured by CP that the testing in our area will only take place between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. However, since they are mass producing this letter for other areas as well, they would not change the time on the letter that is going out to our neighborhood.

Since CP does not think that the City receiving all sorts of phone calls is a problem, I would suggest that you can give Jeff a call if you are finding this test to be particularly disturbing. You can reach Jeff directly at 612-723-6422. Feel free to share this number with others.

Also, I wanted to let you know that the city is continuing to attempt to get the results of the test that was conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration on the other noise related to the rail yard. The city filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request several months ago and we continue to push for the results. So far, we have not had success, but are told that they are processing our request.

For squealing brake noise, residents are asked to call the CP Rail complaint line (1-800-766-7912) with lists of time, duration, and location of noise. It is extremely important that residents call with their complaints!

You can receive updates and participate in conversations about the situation by joining our CP Rail Noise listserv. Contact the district council to join (district1council@aol.com).