(Canwest News Service circulated the following story by David Akin on April 9.)
OTTAWA — As a burning derailed train sent plumes of black smoke into the sky near Weyburn, Sask., union leaders sent MPs a warning that Canada’s railways are getting more dangerous and called on Parliament to pass tougher rail safety laws.
“Because of the hiring practices, training practices, and lack of rail experience, our employees and our country are at risk,” said Robert McDiarmid of the United Transportation Union, which represents 2,800 workers in Canada, mostly at the Canadian National Railway Co., of Montreal.
In Weyburn, where three trains collided on Monday, the preliminary conclusion of emergency responders was that operator error was the main contributing factor to the crash.
Union representatives also told MPs that decisions made at both CN and its chief national competitor, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., of Calgary, to run longer, heavier trains is hurting Canada’s rail infrastructure and increasing safety risks.
In a presentation to the House of Commons committee studying proposed changes to rail safety rules, union leaders detailed seven derailments or accidents of CPR trains in just the last two weeks, including Monday’s. Though no one was seriously injured, some nearby residents were forced to evacuate.
“We have seen too many of our fellow workers injured or killed,” said William Brehl, president of Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents about 4,000 workers at CPR who inspect, monitor and repair the track. Brehl told MPs CPR had 21 per cent more derailments in 2007 than it did in 2006.
“They are putting production over safety and we, as Teamsters, are not going to stand for it,” said Brehl.
An official at CPR said safety is the company’s top priority.
“We are North America’s safest railway. We have been in six of the last seven years,” said spokesman Mike LoVecchio.
“We think there is another agenda at work here because the suggestions put forward at the committee are not supported by the facts.”
At CN, spokeman Bryan Tucker said: “CN has experienced a significant and consistent reduction in non-main track accidents over the past seven years, the type of incidents in which human actions play the greatest part. Our injury rate has also decreased significantly over this period of time. Changing the culture is a work in progress but we are seeing results.”