Ottawa tightens railway safety measures in wake of Lac-Megantic train disaster
Transport Canada will conduct safety audits and look into the hazards of transporting crude oil, while railway company face fines for non-compliance, Minister announces
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OTTAWA — The federal government is tightening safety measures for railways operating in Canada in the aftermath of last year’s deadly derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., in which “rules simply were not followed.”
“We will always remember what happened in Lac-Megantic,” Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said Wednesday.
“This past year has been difficult for all those involved with respect to this tragedy,” she said. “This tragedy is a case where rules simply were not followed.”
Ms. Raitt, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, said the new measures “will improve railway safety and make the transportation industry more accountable.”
The derailment in July 2013 caused an explosion that killed 47 people and destroyed part of the southern Quebec town. The train, which was carrying volatile crude oil, broke loose after stopping for the night and slammed into the community.
It has been described as Canada’s worst train disaster.
Ottawa has accepted the recommendations by the Transportation Safety Board, issued in July, that will give the federal government “greater powers to enforce and respond quickly to safety issues and they will help protect Canadian communities and strengthen our transportation network — because that is a vital element of our economy and our country,” Ms. Raitt said.
“We want to better protect Canadians in their communities. But we have to maintain that transportation network that we actually need in order to move goods around our country and support our economy.”
The new measures cover four areas, beginning with ensuring that unattended trains are properly secured.
All rail operators will need to meet “minimum requirements for hand-break application” and to test hand-break effectiveness. The new measure will require “additional defences on all siding and other appropriate locations to physically prevent unattended trains from rolling away.”
Transport Canada will fund research and the development of improved braking systems.
As well, Ms. Riatt said Transport Canada will take steps “to improve how transportation operators implement safety management systems in this country.”
“They are not a replacement for rules and regulations that must be followed,” but will help companies identify safety risks “before these risks become bigger problems.”
To do this, Transport Canada will add more staff to conduct frequent “safety audits,” and require better information-sharing between the federal agency and municipalities “to ensure better long-term tracking and follow-up.”
At the same time, it will impose “monetary penalties” for non-compliance and each company will need to designate an executive to be “responsible and accountable for the safety management system,” she added.
Ms. Riatt acknowledged that not enough was know about “the properties of the crude oil that was being carried on the train that exploded in Lac-Megantic.”
Transport Canada staff — with expertise in this area — will also be assigned to conduct research into the hazards of crude oil, she said.
“Building a safety culture is a share responsibility. Transport Canada has brought in rules and regulations, orders and directives. Railways and their employees must not only follow and meet these standards, but they have to exceed them as well in our country.”
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