Transport committee  I could start. Certainly we're monitoring the volume of traffic we're moving across every grade crossing. If the amount of traffic we're handling significantly increases, we automatically do a risk assessment and that will likely involve our going to the community and asking for road traffic volumes.

Transport committee  We only operate today with three-man crews but we have provisions to run two-man crews in certain situations. We have never operated a single-person crew or have any intention to operate a single-person crew.

Transport committee  Yes, we still operate cabooses because they really assist in the type of work we do, which is intensive switching and essentially it's a safety element as well. When we are moving a train in a reverse direction, we can put a crew member on the front of that. It's a much safer position for a crew person to be in.

Transport committee  Certainly. The challenge the short-line railways have is that although investments in short-line railways are eligible for the build Canada fund, you need to have government sponsors. You need to have a government that's backing the program and is prepared to go in with you on it.

Transport committee  Good afternoon, Madam Chair. My name is Frank Butzelaar. I am the president and CEO of Southern Railway of British Columbia, known as SRY. With me today is Derek Ollmann, director of operations for SRY. SRY is a provincially regulated short-line railway headquartered in New Westminster, British Columbia, with 185 employees operating 196 kilometres of track, including 101 kilometres of mainline track between New Westminster and Chilliwack, B.C., with connections to CN, CP, and BNSF.