(The following story appeared on the CBC Calgary website on December 24.)
EDMONTON — CN Rail has been ordered to inspect its 219 wooden bridges in the province, as part of an urgent country-wide audit following a fatal crash last spring.
The Transportation Safety Board investigation has revealed a number of shortcomings in CN’s inspection and maintenance practices. Two CN workers died last May after a rail bridge on the line west of Jasper collapsed and a freight train plunged into a remote ravine and burned.
CN records show inspectors had found the bridge needed critical repairs, but the company had no record that the work had ever been done.
“What we’re saying is, it’s pretty serious if you can’t figure out what’s happened to the condition of your bridge,” TSB spokesman Ian Naish said.
While the official investigation continues into the May 2003 wreck, the TSB took the unusual step of issuing recommendations before its work is done, because of safety concerns for railway workers and the public. It has ordered CN to ensure the safety of the 650 wooden bridges it has across the country.
“We’re worried that there may be other bridges on the network that are not being maintained properly because there may be inadequate inspection and maintenance records,” Naish said.
CN has been criticized for getting rid of inspectors to cut costs, but spokesman Graham Dallas says the company also doesn’t have as much track as it used to.
“Safety to CN is the critical component of our business. We would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of our employees or the communities we operate through,” he said.