Public safety is priority
ven as tankers containing petroleum distillates and other dangerous goods on a 100car CN freight train derailed near Clair in a fiery explosion that sent dozens in the hamlet scurrying for safety, the chief operating officer of CP Rail was telling a Toronto business audience that Ottawa should butt out and leave rail safety in the hands of the industry.
Keith Creel was echoing the sentiments of his CEO, Hunter Harrison, who told stockholders at Canadian Pacific’s annual general meeting two weeks ago that new rules announced by the federal government — in response to the Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations arising from the Lac-Mégantic disaster that claimed 47 lives — were “a knee-jerk reaction.”
Among those new regulations was the requirement to phase out or retrofit within three years all thin-hulled DOT-111 tankers, six of which were involved in the fiery crash at Clair. Perhaps it’s time to consider shortening the three-year time frame to replace or fix these tankers, given that they are hauled through far more densely populated areas regularly.
Mr. Harrison’s attempt to portray as an “overreaction” the federal response to the horrific LacMégantic event, which has Canadians deeply concerned about their safety at a time when more dangerous goods are hauled through communities than ever before, suggests an incredible tone-deafness. Far worse, his conclusion that the tragedy was the sole responsibility of the engineer who failed to apply enough hand brakes on the Quebec train that eventually careered downhill and crashed, suggests that the railway executive remains illinformed — or totally uninformed — about the 18 contributing factors identified by the TSB, among them Transport Canada lacking sufficient oversight of railways to whom the government had turned over safety and operational procedures.
Rather than less regulation and monitoring of the activities of railways and the goods they haul, as these executives are suggesting, the government needs to ensure more stringent oversight and, in order to keep the public safe, have the companies work closely with the communities within and through which they operate.
Saskatoon Fire Chief Dan Paulsen makes no bones about the increase in rail traffic heightening the risk of derailments, and the difficulty railways pose for municipal officials in responding to emergencies when major roadways are blocked for long periods.
Chief Paulsen notes that more than 125 types of dangerous goods and commodities move on rails through Saskatoon each day, and civic officials are not made aware of what’s in each car. Given that shipping manifests are prepared for each train, the railways have the capability in an electronic age to keep municipalities fully informed of their cargo, and to settle issues related to protecting shippers’ privacy.
While it’s the case that freight trains don’t run on a schedule that can be shared with fire and police agencies, it’s not an overwhelming challenge to inform them when a freight departs a marshalling yard or approaches the city. It takes some coordination and effort, but public safety must come first.
An overreaction? Not by a long shot.
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