Residents in a rural area west of Chase will enjoy quieter times with new rules that no longer require CP Rail trains to whistle at VLA Flats.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District was notified by Transport Canada that trains will no longer be required to whistle at the road crossing. Residents seeking relief came to the regional district in 2005 and again in 2009.

“It’s done,” said TNRD administrator Sukh Gill. “There will be no whistling at VLA crossing unless there’s an emergency.”

The crossing is about six kilometres west of the village of Chase.

Chase mayor Ron Anderson said while residents in that rural area will doubtless enjoy quieter times, there is no sense of relief ahead for those who live in the village.

“We’ve asked for that for a number of years,” he said. “CP has looked at it and said because we have curves the possibility of that happening is remote.”