Report on Quebec oil train blast says regulators share the blame
The weak safety culture of a now-defunct railway company and poor government oversight were among the many factors that led to an oil train explosion that killed 47 people in Quebec last year, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Tuesday.
Board Chair Wendy Tadros said 18 factors played a role, including a rail company that cut corners and a Canadian regulator that didn’t do proper safety audits.
The safety board issued its report 13 months after a runaway train carrying 72 carloads of volatile oil from North Dakota derailed, hurtled down an incline and slammed into downtown Lac-Megantic. Several train cars exploded, and 40 buildings were leveled. The unattended train had been parked overnight before it came loose. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railways went bankrupt after the disaster.
The safety board blamed another government agency, Transport Canada, for failing in its oversight duties.
Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said she has directed Transport Canada to quickly develop actions based on the recommendations and said the department has acted decisively in moving to implement the safety board’s previous recommendations.
Board official Jean Laporte called Montreal, Maine & Atlantic’s operations “dubious” and said the railway chose to limit the speed on certain routes instead of improving its equipment.
“People only did the bare minimum to get the job done rather than always following the rules,” Laporte said.
The board said train brakes weren’t properly set by the engineer.
In May, the railroad and three employees were charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death. Class-action lawsuits are pending.
Edward Burkhardt, the railroad company chairman who became the target of the community’s anger, said he could not comment on the report because of pending cases.