Following the derailment of a Canadian National (CN) freight train near Gogoma, Ont. on March 7 – the second CN derailment in the region, and the third in Northern Ontario, in less than a month – Transport Canada (TC) has spoken out about its controversial safety standards, both on Parliament Hill and to the media.
The train, which consisted of 94 tank cars carrying crude oil eastbound from Alberta, was roughly halfway between Sudbury and Timmins when 30 cars derailed. There were no reported injuries or fatalities in the disaster, but some of the cars caught on fire and some of the oil fell into the Mattagami River System.
A media contact with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) confirmed to COHSN that as of March 10, the fire had been extinguished and a TSB crew had taken over the site to investigate. No other specific information was available at the time, she added.
During Question Period at the House of Commons on March 9, federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt defended TC’s recent efforts in safety regarding the transportation of dangerous goods by rail. “We are working with the United States on what a new system will be in terms of a new tank-car standard,” she reportedly said.
In a statement sent to COHSN, TC said that the new standard would call for tank cars more robust than the typical CPC-1232 cars to carry flammable liquids. Adoption of the new car, DOT-117 (TC-140), has been in consultations since July 18, TC added.
“The new proposed tank car would include thicker steel,” TC explained, “and require the tank cars to be manufactured as a jacketed, thermally insulated tank car with a full head shield, top-fitting protection and new bottom outlet valve.”
TC said that it had been conducting technical discussions with its U.S. counterparts to harmonize North American the tank-car standards. “This work is being conducted in an expedited manner,” TC said. “Consultations on the proposed tank car continue.”
CN did not respond to COHSN’s request for an interview by press time.
Since the tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, Que. less than two years ago (COHSN, July 15, 2013), the government has responded to safety concerns with increased rail regulations and directions. In the statement, TC claimed to have hired more safety inspectors, trained them to do audits and ordered them to carry out the audits more frequently. Last April, TC issued a protective direction to phase out insufficient tank cars, particularly CTC-111A (known as DOT-111 in the U.S.) cars, and order shippers to develop Emergency Response Assistance Plans for tank cars carrying dangerous goods (COHSN, April 28).
But others have been expressing alarm about the series of derailments, particularly regarding environmental damage.
Steven Del Duca, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, called the most recent incident “very concerning” in a March 9 press statement, adding that he intended to confront Raitt about the issue. Mattagami First Nation chief Walter Naveau told the Canadian Press on the same day that his community was concerned about smoke inhalation, river contamination and other environmental threats.
“The safety and security of the transportation system are Transport Canada’s top priorities,” TC said. “Transport Canada takes all incidents involving dangerous goods seriously.”