Insufficient brake force blamed for oil train crash in Canada

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec— Insufficient brake force was applied before an oil train came barreling out of nowhere in the middle of the night and slammed into a small town in Quebec, killing 47 people, officials said on Friday.

Donald Ross, chief investigator for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), said the insufficient brake force could have been due to mechanical problems with the handbrakes, or a problem with the way someone applied them.

“The train got out of control because it wasn’t fully immobilized,” said TSB Investigator Ed Belkaloul. “The number of brakes (applied) is important, but the quality of the braking is also important.”

An unattended Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train was parked overnight on a rail line before it came loose, hurtling down an 11kilometer incline on July 6. The train derailed and ignited in Lac-Megantic, near the Maine border. All but one of its 73 cars was carrying crude oil, and at least five exploded, setting off massive explosions that devastated the small lakeside town of 6,000 people.

A spokesperson for the agency said it has had a closer look at 25 tanker cars since gaining access to the blast site two days ago—and has taken pictures and samples.

The investigators said they are also analyzing the contents of the tanker cars that did not explode in the crash, looking for clues on why the crude oil in the other cars exploded so violently.

“We want a more in-depth chemical analysis of the goods. We want to make sure dangerous goods do not explode,” said Belkaloul.

The agency says the investigation has already resulted in two safety advisories urging a revision of the Canadian Rail Operating Rule governing the securing of parked trains.

It says the rule is not specific enough because it does not spell out how many handbrakes to apply for various weights and types of cargo.