The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it found several deficiencies in a stretch of CN Rail tracks near the site of a train derailment in a suburban city northeast of Montreal, prompting the mayor to call for a pause on all train activity in the area.
The federal agency deployed a team to investigate the railway tracks after 49 wagons derailed on the edge of a residential area in Repentigny, Que. on July 5.
No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were spilled, according to the safety board.
A letter the safety board’s director of rail and pipeline investigations, Vincenzo De Angelis, sent to Transport Canada’s director of rail safety on July 10 says investigators examined the tracks at the site of the derailment and eight other sections.
De Angelis wrote that rail anchors were missing or had displaced in a few areas, while several ties were skewed.
The report also says the rail showed signs of friction from the spikes against the ties, and the rails shifted by as much as almost nine cm in some spots.
“Missing or displaced rail anchors could lead to a local redistribution of stresses in the rail and reduce the longitudinal and lateral stability of the track, which could increase the risk of derailment due to track buckling,” De Angelis concluded.
He urged Transport Canada to verify the integrity of the tracts and to inform the safety board of what action, if any, will be taken.
Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour says the investigators’ findings are troubling, especially as the railroad line runs through a residential neighbourhood.
“The dilapidated state of the rail infrastructure—that is extremely concerning. CN has the power to fix this, so it should do so as quickly as possible,” he said in a phone interview.
In a news release dated July 10, Transport Canada said it is working with the safety board and that its rail inspectors “are monitoring the railway’s response to ensure all necessary safety measures are in place.”
“We recognize the concern and disruption this incident has caused for the Repentigny community and understand the importance of restoring confidence that the railway is operating safely,” the news release says.
The Canadian Press reached out to CN Rail for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Dufour said he wants the federal transportation department to put operations on hold until the necessary repairs are made. The Repentigny city council unanimously adopted a motion on Tuesday calling on the minister to consider permanently reducing speed limits on freight trains in residential areas.
In his advisory, De Angelis says it was 29 degrees the day the train derailed. The locomotive was travelling southward at 77 km per hour.
Because of thermal expansion of railways, trains must reduce their speed by 16 km per hour when the temperature reaches 30 degrees.
“I find this concerning because we were really right on the verge of triggering a speed reduction by Transport Canada,” Dufour said. “I think the City of Repentigny’s request is more than legitimate.”
According to Transport Canada, trains running through the area have to reduce their speed by about 15 km per hour until inspections, testing, and follow-up work have been completed.
Dufour said he is relieved to see the safety board handling the case “with great rigour” and transparency.
The safety board says its investigation is ongoing and may result in recommendations to address safety deficiencies.
