Feds announce steps to further strengthen railway

OTTAWA, Ont.– The federal government is taking steps to address the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s (TSB) recommendations stemming from its final report on the Lac-Mégantic train derailment.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, announced the measures Wednesday.

The TSB issued two recommendations and two safety advisories to the department. In response, Transport Canada is:

• Requiring railway companies to meet standardized requirements for hand brake application and put into effect additional physical defences to secure trains;

• Increasing oversight by recruiting additional staff to carry out more frequent audits and creating processes for increased information sharing with municipalities;

• Conducting further research on crude oil properties, behaviour and hazards and launching a targeted inspection campaign to verify the classification of rail shipments; and

• Requiring certain railways (including short lines) to submit training plans to Transport Canada for review, and conducting an audit blitz of short lines to determine specific training gaps.

The federal government said it has responded to initial recommendations from the TSB by removing the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tanks cars from circulation, ensuring industry was conducting route planning and analysis, and ensuring all transportation of high-risk hydrocarbons (including petroleum products) have associated Emergency Response Assistance Plans. The measures announced Wednesday further strengthen Canada’s regulation and oversight of railway safety, the government said.

“Our Government remains committed to strengthening the safety of our country’s railways and the transportation of dangerous goods. The measures we are announcing today build on actions already taken and address the specific recommendations and advisories issued by the Transportation Safety Board,”  said the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport.