Rail Still A Very Safe Way To Transport Goods

[Anonymous]

Few modes of transportation have as Canadian an identity as the train.



But following a series of recent derailments, the safety of Canadian railways has been put into question.



And this isn't the first time.



In 1979, a Mississauga, Ont., freight train derailment released massive amounts of explosive and poisonous chemicals, leading to the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history up to that time. No one was hurt but according to Clarence Young, it set the safety wheels in motion.



"They started to change how toxic gas cannot be next to flammable gas; they instituted a number of safety measures concerning the hauling of dangerous commodities, buffer cars between dangerous commodities. There were many rules implicated," recalled Young, from Edmonton, who began his career in the rail industry in the '70s and spent roughly 18 years implementing many of the safety measures that exist today.



Of course, the dangerous goods regulations were only part of the equation, a fact that became all too real about seven years after the Mississauga event.



On the morning of Feb. 4, 1986, the eastbound Super Continental Via Rail train left Hinton, Alta., a few minutes late. All seemed normal at first but that would soon change. Unbeknownst to the passengers, a 118-unit freight train was headed the opposite way on the same track.



The two collided, causing a massive wreck of fire and metal. When it was all over, 23 people were dead in what was the largest rail disaster in Canada since 1947 until this year's catastrophe in Lac-Mégantic, Que.



A follow-up investigation found that human error caused the freight train to speed through two separate checkpoints prior to the crash.



Young said things have changed considerably since then. When he was hired, he had an interview in the morning and was on the job that afternoon.



"Today, you go through a process of stages and medicals and psychologists," he explained. "They want their employees trained up because safety is of the most importance."



Young said trains are faster and can pull more weight today, but the technology adopted in the past three decades has made the rails safer than ever.



This summer's derailment near Gainford, Alta. — that caused the evacuation of 100 local residents and shut down the line for the better part of a week — wasn't enough to shake his confidence.



Young said the cause of the Gainford crash was likely what he calls a "kicker."



"A valve on a car could be affected by the temperature, dirt, different things. We call it a kicker because it will go into emergency application of the brakes and affect the whole train into this emergency application," he said.



Because the train was on a curve and travelling at top speed of close to 70 km/h, the sudden stop sent cars off the track.



But Young said it was a one in a million chance that the kicker happened at that spot on the line, adding he only experienced a kicker twice in his entire career and both times it meant nothing more than an unplanned stop.



When asked about Lac-Mégantic, however, Young says it could have been avoided.



He blames independent contractors being allowed to have only one person on the train for the crash that ultimately claimed almost 50 lives.



"It's been said that these guys that want independent companies and just run them, they're getting away with murder," he said, adding the fault could be traced all the way up the ladder to the federal transportation department.



As for Alberta lines, he believes, they are some of the safest in the country. But he would like to see some small changes including mandated safety meetings between all levels of rail employees at least every 60 days.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/re ... ail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety

[Anonymous]

Few modes of transportation have as Canadian an identity as the train.



But following a series of recent derailments, the safety of Canadian railways has been put into question.



And this isn't the first time.



In 1979, a Mississauga, Ont., freight train derailment released massive amounts of explosive and poisonous chemicals, leading to the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history up to that time. No one was hurt but according to Clarence Young, it set the safety wheels in motion.



"They started to change how toxic gas cannot be next to flammable gas; they instituted a number of safety measures concerning the hauling of dangerous commodities, buffer cars between dangerous commodities. There were many rules implicated," recalled Young, from Edmonton, who began his career in the rail industry in the '70s and spent roughly 18 years implementing many of the safety measures that exist today.



Of course, the dangerous goods regulations were only part of the equation, a fact that became all too real about seven years after the Mississauga event.



On the morning of Feb. 4, 1986, the eastbound Super Continental Via Rail train left Hinton, Alta., a few minutes late. All seemed normal at first but that would soon change. Unbeknownst to the passengers, a 118-unit freight train was headed the opposite way on the same track.



The two collided, causing a massive wreck of fire and metal. When it was all over, 23 people were dead in what was the largest rail disaster in Canada since 1947 until this year's catastrophe in Lac-Mégantic, Que.



A follow-up investigation found that human error caused the freight train to speed through two separate checkpoints prior to the crash.



Young said things have changed considerably since then. When he was hired, he had an interview in the morning and was on the job that afternoon.



"Today, you go through a process of stages and medicals and psychologists," he explained. "They want their employees trained up because safety is of the most importance."



Young said trains are faster and can pull more weight today, but the technology adopted in the past three decades has made the rails safer than ever.



This summer's derailment near Gainford, Alta. — that caused the evacuation of 100 local residents and shut down the line for the better part of a week — wasn't enough to shake his confidence.



Young said the cause of the Gainford crash was likely what he calls a "kicker."



"A valve on a car could be affected by the temperature, dirt, different things. We call it a kicker because it will go into emergency application of the brakes and affect the whole train into this emergency application," he said.



Because the train was on a curve and travelling at top speed of close to 70 km/h, the sudden stop sent cars off the track.



But Young said it was a one in a million chance that the kicker happened at that spot on the line, adding he only experienced a kicker twice in his entire career and both times it meant nothing more than an unplanned stop.



When asked about Lac-Mégantic, however, Young says it could have been avoided.



He blames independent contractors being allowed to have only one person on the train for the crash that ultimately claimed almost 50 lives.



"It's been said that these guys that want independent companies and just run them, they're getting away with murder," he said, adding the fault could be traced all the way up the ladder to the federal transportation department.



As for Alberta lines, he believes, they are some of the safest in the country. But he would like to see some small changes including mandated safety meetings between all levels of rail employees at least every 60 days.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/re ... ail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety

I don't live very far away from Canadian Pacific's Keith Yard..



Trains move a lot of different things across Canada every day, so of course they are safe..



But they are large, heavy and powerful which means necessary and strict safety standards.

[Anonymous]

Few modes of transportation have as Canadian an identity as the train.



But following a series of recent derailments, the safety of Canadian railways has been put into question.



And this isn't the first time.



In 1979, a Mississauga, Ont., freight train derailment released massive amounts of explosive and poisonous chemicals, leading to the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history up to that time. No one was hurt but according to Clarence Young, it set the safety wheels in motion.



"They started to change how toxic gas cannot be next to flammable gas; they instituted a number of safety measures concerning the hauling of dangerous commodities, buffer cars between dangerous commodities. There were many rules implicated," recalled Young, from Edmonton, who began his career in the rail industry in the '70s and spent roughly 18 years implementing many of the safety measures that exist today.



Of course, the dangerous goods regulations were only part of the equation, a fact that became all too real about seven years after the Mississauga event.



On the morning of Feb. 4, 1986, the eastbound Super Continental Via Rail train left Hinton, Alta., a few minutes late. All seemed normal at first but that would soon change. Unbeknownst to the passengers, a 118-unit freight train was headed the opposite way on the same track.



The two collided, causing a massive wreck of fire and metal. When it was all over, 23 people were dead in what was the largest rail disaster in Canada since 1947 until this year's catastrophe in Lac-Mégantic, Que.



A follow-up investigation found that human error caused the freight train to speed through two separate checkpoints prior to the crash.



Young said things have changed considerably since then. When he was hired, he had an interview in the morning and was on the job that afternoon.



"Today, you go through a process of stages and medicals and psychologists," he explained. "They want their employees trained up because safety is of the most importance."



Young said trains are faster and can pull more weight today, but the technology adopted in the past three decades has made the rails safer than ever.



This summer's derailment near Gainford, Alta. — that caused the evacuation of 100 local residents and shut down the line for the better part of a week — wasn't enough to shake his confidence.



Young said the cause of the Gainford crash was likely what he calls a "kicker."



"A valve on a car could be affected by the temperature, dirt, different things. We call it a kicker because it will go into emergency application of the brakes and affect the whole train into this emergency application," he said.



Because the train was on a curve and travelling at top speed of close to 70 km/h, the sudden stop sent cars off the track.



But Young said it was a one in a million chance that the kicker happened at that spot on the line, adding he only experienced a kicker twice in his entire career and both times it meant nothing more than an unplanned stop.



When asked about Lac-Mégantic, however, Young says it could have been avoided.



He blames independent contractors being allowed to have only one person on the train for the crash that ultimately claimed almost 50 lives.



"It's been said that these guys that want independent companies and just run them, they're getting away with murder," he said, adding the fault could be traced all the way up the ladder to the federal transportation department.



As for Alberta lines, he believes, they are some of the safest in the country. But he would like to see some small changes including mandated safety meetings between all levels of rail employees at least every 60 days.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/re ... ail-safety">http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/11/30/recent-train-wrecks-not-enough-to-shake-edmonton-experts-faith-in-canadian-rail-safety

I don't live very far away from Canadian Pacific's Keith Yard..



Trains move a lot of different things across Canada every day, so of course they are safe..



But they are large, heavy and powerful which means necessary and strict safety standards.

They are 865 rules in CROR governing the safe movement of trains and other track equipment. In addition to this, there are GOI(general operating instructions), GBO's(general bulletin orders) and special instructions located in each and every sub timetable. There's a reason conductor new-hires with CN or CP spend 6 weeks in a classroom when they first start.