(Bloomberg News circulated the following article by Rip Watson on March 3.)
NEW YORK — Canadian National Railway Co., the country’s biggest railroad, was blamed by a government safety board for failing to properly inspect and maintain a British Columbia bridge whose 2003 collapse killed two workers.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said today in a report that inspection, planning and maintenance shortcomings “allowed the unsafe conditions to exist.”
The agency said an inspection in 1999 found that the timber bridge was rotted and repairs hadn’t been made.
The accident in May 2003, about 300 miles west of Edmonton, Alberta, involved two locomotives and five cars that derailed and fell into a ravine.
The agency urged the railroad in December 2003 to inspect bridges to ensure their safety and later told officials to more closely monitor bridge maintenance.
”We do not agree with the conclusions,” railway spokesman Mark Hallman said in an interview. ”This tragic accident was not caused by the structural failure of the bridge.” He declined to say what Canadian National believes caused it.
The railway intends to release its conclusions about the cause next month during a court case arising from charges filed by Canada’s attorney general last year that the company violated the Railway Safety Act, Hallman said.
Canadian National, which could face fines of C$2.25 million ($1.81 million), last month asked to delay the report’s release until after the trial.
Shares of Canadian National rose 37 cents to C$77.47 at 4:05 p.m. New York time in Toronto. The shares have gained 48 percent in the past year.