TSB finds broken rail causes 2015 derailment in northern Ontario
A missed defect in an improperly repaired rail led to a 2015 freight train derailment in northern Ontario that caused numerous cars carrying crude oil to catch fire and crash into a local river system, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Thursday.
As a result of its investigation into the incident, the board recommended Transport Canada consistently collect data on general rail surface conditions — and not just previously recorded defects — to better focus its track inspections and help predict future rail failures.
“Track defect information is required to be reported to Transport Canada, while rail surface condition information is not consistently provided and rarely requested by the regulator,” said TSB chair Kathy Fox.
“By integrating rail surface condition data, the planning process may more clearly identify areas of potential track deterioration and the targeted track inspections can be better focused to reduce risk in the rail transportation system.”