GATINEAU, Quebec — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has issued a safety advisory letter in response to two incidents in which VIA Rail Canada trains were damaged by materials placed along Canadian National’s right-of-way in preparation for track work.
The letter, dated March 25 but announced Thursday, suggests “Canadian National, in conjunction with VIA, may wish to conduct a risk assessment to identify and implement appropriate measures to ensure that VIA trains can travel safely through locations where track materials are placed between the rails in preparation for track work.”
The first incident occurred Feb. 2 near Brighton, Ontario, when combined trains 52 (Toronto-Ottawa) and 62 (Toronto-Montreal), traveling at approximately 95 mph, was damaged by tie plates that had been placed between the rails in advance of track work the following day. Debris from that incident also seriously injured a CN employee in a hi-rail vehicle parked near the track, while one locomotive’s fuel tank was punctured, spilling about 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel.
The second incident occurred March 20, near Truro, Nova Scotia, when VIA’s westbound Ocean was damaged by materials, including tie plates, placed between the rails prior to track work scheduled for the following day. The second locomotive in the two-engine, 14-car consist lost the contents of its fuel tank as a result of the damage, and car windows were broken, but there were no injuries.
