Canadian government limits length of CN trains following derailments
In response to recent derailments in British Columbia by trains operated by Canadian National Railway Co., Canada’s Transport Minister, Jean-C. Lapierre said Friday that CN will have to limit the length of their conventional trains to 80 cars while operating northbound between Squamish and Clinton, B.C.
On Thursday, 10 empty CN cars derailed just north of Sunset Beach in the Sea-to-Sky corridor. On Aug. 5, a CN train derailed at a bridge over the Cheakamus River, north of Squamish. A tank car loaded with sodium hydroxide spilled into the Cheakamus River and six other cars derailed. Two months later on Oct. 24, nine empty CN flat cars derailed in the same general area. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the derailments to determine the cause.
“I am very concerned about the recent CN derailments in British Columbia and that’s why we are ordering CN to restrict the length of their conventional trains in the Squamish area as a precautionary measure,” Lapierre said.
“I am also concerned about CN’s overall safety performance and I have written to senior officials at CN to express those concerns. I’ve made it clear if corrective actions aren’t taken by the company I could call a public inquiry into CN’s operations,” Lapierre added.
Between August and September, Transport Canada undertook an inspection and safety review of CN’s railway equipment, operations and infrastructure which identified deficiencies in the company’s level of compliance with the Railway Safety Act. Transport Canada said it is reviewing CN’s corrective action plan.