Homeowners in a Maple Ridge neighbourhood say the vibration from passing freight trains is loosening the soil in their backyards and causing it to slide towards the Fraser River.

David McFee, who has been living on Anderson Place for 2½ years, said the ground behind his home started shifting dramatically between November and January, taking with it planters, ripping out sprinkler systems and tearing down fences.

"It had been raining, it was a Sunday and I just happened to go out in the backyard to look around—make sure everything was OK," he said. "I happened to look over and I noticed the neighbour's property…It had started to give way."

McFee took photos of the damage and contacted the City of Maple Ridge the following day, but said it would not get involved.

"They didn't care because they don't own any of the land," he said.

He then reached out to Canadian Pacific Railway, which owns the crumbling land between the Fraser and McFee's property and a neighbouring lot where the problem is even worse.

The company sent crews to inspect the site that same day and advised residents to put down tarps to stop the soil from shifting.

"CP continues to monitor the site in question and is not presently aware of any safety risk to the public or to railway operations," the company said in a statement to CTV News, adding that "our operations in this location are in full compliance with regulations."

But McFee said the tarps aren't working and that he hasn't been able to get a response from CPR since.

"I've called them each time it's gotten a little worse and, basically, they've never met with me. I never heard back from them," he said.

If the company doesn't step in, McFee said the crumbling land could become a serious safety concern both for residents and trains.

"They just don't get in contact with you unless it's going across their track—which right now it isn't—they don't care," he said. "But, eventually, it's going to go across their tracks and they'd just better hope a train's not coming along because it could end up in the river."

More than half a dozen trains pass by the properties every day, and McFee said every time there's heavy rainfall, the erosion gets worse.

"The trains—they're very heavy. They make our house shake. It makes the ground shake," McFee said. "Every time it rains, it seems that a little bit more slides away and the heavier the rain, the more it slides away…It's just getting worse and worse."

And until the rail company steps in, McFee said there's little residents can do to stop the damage.

"It's about a 35-foot drop now and there's really not much you can do to get it filled in," he said. "I would love to get it fixed, but I can't fix it. I can't go on CPR's property without their permission to fix it and they don't seem to be interested."

In a statement to CTV News, the city confirmed that it will not get involved, despite CPR's silence on the issue and the fact that McFee's home is on the heritage registry.

"It would not be appropriate for the City to comment on an issue between these two property owners," a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, McFee is planting trees on his land in hopes of stabilizing the soil until CPR realizes the severity of the situation.

"We have to determine what we're going to do," he said. "It's three properties that are affected and we need to work together, but you can't work together when one person doesn't acknowledge or even talk to you."

With files from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith