Train - hazardous cargo "accident"

[3930dave]

Sargeant Schultz couldn't have said it better....

Lac-M馮antic investigators seek urgent rail safety review - Montreal - CBC News

Not for the first time, I'm left wondering "So, what exactly (other than burn tax dollars) does this government department do ?" A partial quote is listed below.

The TSB investigation has determined the braking force applied wasn't enough to hold the train on the 1.2 per cent descending slope where it had been parked for the night.

Transport Canada late Friday confirmed it does not approve or give any specific guidance to Canada's rail companies on how many brakes must be applied for parked freight trains.

"Transport Canada does not validate the special instructions of a railway company," Transport Canada spokesperson Kelly James told CBC News in an emailed statement.

"It is the responsibility of a railway company to establish their special instructions and to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR). A company may voluntarily impose more restrictive procedures than the CROR require. During routine inspections TC monitors whether the special instructions by the company are being met."

This admission flies in the face of assertions made earlier this week by Transport Canada after repeated questioning by CBC News about the working of Rule 112 contained in the CROR's (Canadian Railway Operating Rules), which demands railways ensure sufficient numbers of brakes be applied to secure a train.

Earlier this week, James had stated that "the rules provide specific instructions for the use of hand brakes to prevent the train from moving when equipment is not in use. In addition, the rules specify that the hand brakes need to be fully tested before they can be used to secure equipment."

On Friday afternoon, the agency appeared to retreat from this position acknowledging that the regulator does not approve company policies and simply trusts companies to employ their own best practices to keep parked trains from running away.

Transport Canada Rail division either needs to get it's act together, or be scrapped altogether as it's clear that they are doing nothing.

Rgds, D.

 

[Scooby074]

Foxes guarding the henhouse.

Said it already, but companies in safety related industries should not be allowed to self regulate.

I heard that CP and CN have stepped up their procedures for securing a train, but didnt read up to find out exactly what they did to inprove.

 

[crazyal]

The TSB is starting to look like complete idiots. They state the obvious. Everyone knows that the braking force wasn't enough to keep the train from rolling, if it was then the train would have stayed put. They then go on to say they don't know if it was a mechanical failure or human (not enough or any hand brakes set, not set correctly, or tampered with after being set). Are they actually doing any testing to see if the number of brakes the engineer said he set would have been enough to hold that tonnage on a 1.2% slope would hold it?

They came up with two suggestions, revise the number of brakes used and not leave a train sitting on a mainline unattended. How about one for dealing with shutting down engines in the event of an emergency? Seams to me that there should be something in place that says if a locomotive needs to be shut down then an actual engineer that's familiar with that style of engine must be present to confirm there is no danger. If one can't be found then the train needs to be secured by using the manual brakes, not assume the manual brakes were set.

 

[crazyal]

The TSB is starting to look like complete idiots. They state the obvious. Everyone knows that the braking force wasn't enough to keep the train from rolling, if it was then the train would have stayed put. They then go on to say they don't know if it was a mechanical failure or human (not enough or any hand brakes set, not set correctly, or tampered with after being set). Are they actually doing any testing to see if the number of brakes the engineer said he set would have been enough to hold that tonnage on a 1.2% slope would hold it?

They came up with two suggestions, revise the number of brakes used and not leave a train sitting on a mainline unattended. How about one for dealing with shutting down engines in the event of an emergency? Seams to me that there should be something in place that says if a locomotive needs to be shut down then an actual engineer that's familiar with that style of engine must be present to confirm there is no danger. If one can't be found then the train needs to be secured by using the manual brakes, not assume the manual brakes were set.

 

[Cub 7274]

Looks like this disastrous derailment is going to cause big problems:
Pulling up the spikes on the MMA:
U.S. rail officials ready backup plans in case MM&A shuts down - The Globe and Mail

 

[Cub 7274]

Looks like this disastrous derailment is going to cause big problems:
Pulling up the spikes on the MMA:
U.S. rail officials ready backup plans in case MM&A shuts down - The Globe and Mail

 

[3930dave]

So, one obvious question is "Given the nature of the goods they haul, why was a railway allowed to operate with inadequate levels of insurance".

Back to that (non)oversight thing again....

Rgds, D.

 

[Scooby074]

MMA will go bankrupt.. Quebec and the rest of Canada will end up paying for this. Families will not be compensated for lost loved ones... Company could be back under a new name in no time. Something wrong with this system.

 

[Cub 7274]

Dont know if they will run through that town again

 

[kiotiken]

Dont know if they will run through that town again

They'd better keep their heads low if they tried