(The following story by Black Press appeared on the North Thompson Times website on August 21.)
NORTH THOMPSON — Transport Canada has again restricted train length and put other conditions on CN Rail operations at the site of a fiery collision and derailment in Prince George on Aug. 4.
Transport Canada had investigators at the scene on the day of the incident, in which cars carrying gasoline and lumber caught fire, and issued a notice the following day.
“The incident is still being investigated,” said Sara Hof, spokeswoman for Transport Canada. “There may be a requirement for further regulatory action, but we don’t know at this point.”
CN Rail spokeswoman Kelli Svendsen said the company moved quickly to follow the order, but doesn’t agree with it.
“Our investigation showed that train length wasn’t a factor in the incident,” Svendsen said. “We’re presently in discussions with Transport Canada on that.”
CN’s internal investigation showed the collision was caused by human error, she said, but the employee operating the northbound train “was an experienced manager who previously held a unionized position doing exactly this kind of train handling.”
The incident came a few days after CN was charged with environmental offences related to the 2005 derailment that dumped a carload of caustic soda into Cheakamus River, killing thousands of fish. Train length was a factor in that crash, and extra locomotives placed near the back of the train were not working.
In June 2006, a locomotive plunged over a steep bank and caught fire near Lillooet, killing two of three crew members.
NDP transportation critic David Chudnovsky says the Prince George crash is the latest example of CN’s failure to adapt to B.C.’s challenging track conditions since taking over operations of BC Rail in 2004. Chudnovsky wrote to Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, urging him to demand CN safety and maintenance records, and compel CN to report regularly on efforts to improve safety in B.C.
The Prince George order applies to miles 463 and 465 of the track. It limits trains to 30 loaded cars, or up to 40 cars if at least 10 are empty. The northbound train – which caused the collision – had three locomotives and 53 cars, and the southbound train had two locomotives and 67 cars.
The order specifies four other conditions for the area. Trains are also required to have a sufficient number of cars with active air brakes to control the speed of the train. It also prohibits CN staff from relying on remote monitoring of “point protection zones” alone to determine if there is another train on the site.
“The notice compels the employee to visually confirm the track is clear and go slower,” Hof said. “Point protection zones can lead to a false sense of confidence that no trains could be in the area.”
The order also forces CN to keep all data related to braking performance, inspections and repairs on yard locomotives used for switching for a minimum of 30 days.