(The Toronto Star posted the following article by Mike Funston on its website on January 26.)
TORONTO — A Canadian National freight train that jumped the tracks Saturday night was the third derailment in just 10 days in Greater Toronto.
No one was injured when 19 of the 94 cars on the train went off the rails between Aurora Sideroad and Warden Ave. in Whitchurch-Stouffville around 9.40 p.m., CN spokesperson Ian Thomson said yesterday.
Three of the damaged cars were carrying about 40 motor vehicles, which have been written off.
The rest of the rail cars were empty, although seven tankers contained residue of flammable benzene, but there was no fire or chemical leak, Thomson said.
Officials from Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board were on the scene investigating while 50 CN workers and contractors were removing debris and replacing 125 metres of ripped-up track, Thomson said.
On Jan. 14, a Canadian Pacific train jumped the rails at an overpass in Whitby and several containers rolled down an embankment, crushing a car and killing the two women inside.
On Jan. 20, a 43-car CP freight train derailed in Caledon, spilling a cargo of 30,000 water bottles and car parts. No one was injured. There was no hazardous cargo.
The accident in Whitchurch-Stouffville Saturday occurred well away from any residential areas, about half a kilometre from the nearest level crossing. It happened on a main line that runs between Toronto and Western Canada. The line was expected to be reopened by late yesterday.
The cause wasn’t immediately known.
“We’ll have to examine the equipment and track, the download (of data) from the engine and interview the crew,” Thomson said.
However, he acknowledged that extreme cold can affect the performance of trains and a number of measures are taken to enhance safety in winter.
“It’s more difficult to keep the air pressure (for brakes) up for long trains in the cold weather so we shorten the length of trains,” Thomson said.
“And there are more frequent track inspections.”
The fatal Whitby derailment sparked calls from railway industry professionals for Ottawa to conduct an inquiry on rail safety.
Winston Smith, vice-president of Professionals for Rail Safety Accountability, said railways aren’t doing as much maintenance and inspection as they should.
But the fact there have been three derailments in the GTA in such a short period of time isn’t “that odd,” given that this area a “densely operated rail corridor for both freight and passenger service, Thomson said.
CN averages less than two accidents per one million train miles, an accident being defined as any damage more than $10,000, Thomson said.
“That’s a very small number, considering the millions of miles that trains move,” he said.