(The Toronto Star posted the following article on its website on February 22.)
TORONTO — Canadian National Railway had 103 domestic main-track derailments last year, a 36 per cent increase over the 76 reported a year earlier, according to statistics from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The nation’s largest railroad represented the lion’s share of the 195 derailments logged by the federal agency in 2005.
Canadian Pacific Railway had 66 domestic main-track derailments, compared with 63 reported in 2004.
But both railroads showed a significant increase in their accident rates since 1999, the agency’s numbers show.
Canadian National had 2.65 main-track derailments per million train miles in 2005, compared to 1.55 in 1999. Canadian Pacific had 1.9 main-track derailments per million train miles last year compared to 1.3 in 1999.
Overall, accidents per million train miles rose to 13.04 in 2005, including collisions, derailments, trespassers, explosions and non main-track incidents. That compares to 12.29 accidents per million train miles in 2004 and the 2000-2004 average of 11.69 accidents per million train miles.
There were only six main-track collisions in 2005, one more than in 2004, but below the five-year average of seven. Non-main-track collisions were also lower, as were fires and explosions, and leaks of dangerous goods.
Canadian National had a series of widely publicized derailments in 2005, several of which occurred on former B.C. Rail tracks in central British Columbia.
The railroad purchased the provincially owned smaller railroad in 2004.
The nation’s railroads have been enjoying a resurgence in demand as Canada’s trade with Asia booms, and have been investing heavily in upgrading and expanding their tracks.
Canadian Pacific spent $160 million last year to expand its key western corridor between the port of Vancouver and Calgary, while Canadian National is planning to spend about $800 million on its infrastructure, replacing rail, ties, ballast, and other track material and upgrading bridges and signalling systems.