A Canadian National Railway train derailed on CN’s mainline March 11 near Gregg, about 50 km east of Brandon, Manitoba. 13 cars carrying refinery cracking stock, a type of bitumen, fell off the...
As more information becomes available on the March 7 derailment of a Canadian National Railway oil train near Gogama, north of Sudbury, Ontario, it appears it is among CN’s worst oil train dera...
It’s almost impossible to keep track of the number of reported Canadian National Railway derailments. Early this morning, another CN derailment occurred in northern Ontario, this time about 100...
Four Canadian National Railway tank cars loaded with crude oil derailed February 15 in the Windell Yard siding near Conklin, between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche, Alberta. It appears very few p...
Sixteen Canadian National Railway cars derailed today about 100 km east of Hornepayne, Ontario (Reuters and other media sources). Derailed cars were tank cars loaded with flammable crude oil or ...
Deteriorating rail infrastructure caused 13 Canadian National Railway tank cars to derail and explode in a fireball October 19, 2013 in Gainford, Alberta (Edmonton Journal). The Transportation Sa...
Canadian National Railway is having trouble convincing the public that they run a safe railway, considering the number of reported CN derailments during an 11-day period from February 14 to Feb...
As debate heightens about the transport of dangerous goods by rail, another Canadian National Railway train derailed early this morning about 25 miles NW of Duluth, Minnesota (Star Tribune). 13 o...
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada says the new CPC-1232 tank cars are no better than the older DOT-111 tank cars that derailed, punctured, spilled 6.5 million litres of crude oil, a...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/new-tank-cars-no-safer-than-older-ones/
Twenty-nine of 100 tank cars loaded with crude oil from Alberta’s tar sands area derailed about 80 km south of Timmins, Ontario around midnight February 14, and 7 cars were still burning 4 days...
A CSX crude oil train derailed February 16 about 33 miles SE of Charleston, West Virginia, resulting in explosions, fires and crude oil spilling into the adjacent Armstrong Creek and Kanawha Rive...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/fiery-crude-oil-train-derailment-in-west-virginia/
“Actions speak louder than words” – this is a phrase that most definitely applies to Safe Rail Communities, a Toronto-based “non-partisan, community organization advocating for transparen...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/safe-rail-communities-aims-to-improve-rail-safety/
Two Canadian Pacific Railway locomotives and 13 cars derailed yesterday in a remote location north of Dubuque, Iowa (Telegraph Herald, Raw Story). At least 11 of the derailed tank cars were load...
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada says it remains concerned about the federal government’s legislative oversight of rail safety, 18 months following the derailment, explosions and...
Just after noon yesterday, 2 Canadian National Railway cars derailed in Richmond Hill, a town within the Greater Toronto Area (Hamilton Spectator, CBC News). One of the cars was carrying steel, ...
Much has been written over the past few years about the many hazards associated with transporting crude oil and other dangerous goods by rail. Curtis Tate of McClatchy Newspapers, Washington Bure...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/the-dangers-of-hauling-crude-oil-by-rail/
Nine Canadian National Railway cars derailed during afternoon rush hour today in downtown Winnipeg (Reuters plus other sources). Seven cars were loaded with sand and two tank cars were full of r...
Twenty-two Canadian Pacific Railway cars derailed this morning between Nipigon and Schreiber about 45 km east of Nipigon, Ontario (CBC News, CTV News). Seven derailed cars were loaded with propa...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/major-train-derailment-near-nipigon-leaks-propane/
Two Canadian National Railway derailments occurred on the same day – January 9, 2015. Four empty grain cars fell off the tracks in a rail yard in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Chronicle Journal). There...
Early this morning, 23 cars of a 114-car Canadian National Railway train derailed near Jarrow, Alberta, spilling an undisclosed volume of liquid adhesive (a.k.a. glue) from one of the derailed ca...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/train-derailments-not-good-news-in-canada/
There were 27 main line train derailments in Alberta during the first 11 months of 2014, about twice the province’s 5-year average, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. It wa...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/alberta-leads-provinces-in-train-derailments/
Ten of 60 Canadian National Railway cars loaded with stone fell off the tracks and spilled their cargo late last night. The derailment occurred just north of Niton Junction, about 160 kilometres ...
The long-term health of fish may be at serious risk after several hundred tonnes of fly ash, a byproduct of coal production, spilled into 40 Mile Creek during a Canadian Pacific Railway derailmen...
A major derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway train occurred early this morning in Banff National Park, Alberta (Calgary Herald). 15 cars loaded with fly ash and lentils fell off CP’s main t...
Between 2 and 4 Canadian National Railway cars derailed and flipped over December 21, 2014 outside of Squamish, British Columbia near the Culliton Creek Bridge at the end of Paradise Valley Road ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/derailed-canadian-national-railway-cars-spill-contents/
5 Canadian National Railway cars filled with grain derailed near the 11th Street bypass in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan December 13 (Global News), only 16 hours following a major derailment of 35 cars...
35 Canadian National Railway freight cars fell off the tracks December 12 about 3 km west of Raymore, Saskatchewan (CJME, CBC News, Regina Leader Post). CN had initially said 33 cars derailed. ...
Toronto and Mississauga want to end the transportation of dangerous goods by rail through the two cities, in the most densely populated part of Ontario (Toronto Star). Toronto Mayor John Tory rec...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/major-cities-dont-want-dangerous-goods-on-railways/
Twelve Canadian National Railway cars derailed December 2, 2014 near Brereton Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park about 115km east of Winnipeg, Manitoba (Global News). It took CN about 16 hours to...
In spite of local municipalities, fire departments and other first responders, politicians and rail safety experts pressing Transport Canada and Canadian rail companies to provide real-time infor...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/railway-companies-bottom-line-continues-to-trump-safety/
As Canadian National Railway ramps up its crude oil shipments across North America, the corporation continues to be dogged by derailments. The following 5 CN derailments in Canada were reported d...
This morning, a CN train carrying dangerous goods derailed near Clair and Wadena, Saskatchewan, sending plumes of smoke at least 30 metres into the air and forcing residents from their homes (CBC...
It’s almost impossible to keep up with the number of reported Canadian National Railway derailments in Alberta. The latest occurred this afternoon near Wildwood west of Edmonton, when 15 cars l...
Some residents in the Aldershot community of Burlington, Ontario have been fighting Canadian National Railway for 15 years, without success. Residents can’t sleep at night, their houses shake a...
Seventeen Canadian National Railway freight cars loaded with peas derailed east of Vermilion, Alberta on September 25 (CTV News). The derailment forced the closure of the rail line for at least 2...
The federal government announced last week that Canadian National Railway would be fined under the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act for failing to move a minimum amount of grain each week. Under t...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/canadian-national-railway-grain-hauling-fine-a-joke/
Rail and Reason has just posted an excellent article on the federal government’s recent launch of a review of the Canada Transportation Act. The last time the Act was reviewed and new regulatio...
Nine Canadian National Railway cars, including box cars and hopper cars, derailed September 18 near Ford Road in Central City, Iowa (KWWL). The cars were carrying agricultural and forest produc...
Canadian National Railway is being fined by the federal government under the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act for failing to move a minimum amount of grain each week (Globe and Mail). The monetary...
Four Canadian National Railway locomotives and 21 cars derailed in the Mitsue Industrial area about 10km east of Slave Lake, Alberta September 16 (CBC News). Three of the derailed cars were carry...
A Canadian National Railway train derailed about 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning, September 14 in Macomb County, southeastern Michigan, about 20 miles northeast of Detroit (Associated Press). Police sai...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/canadian-national-railway-derailment-in-michigan/
An eastbound Canadian National Railway train derailed just after noon September 9 near Cherhill, about 100km northwest of Edmonton, Alberta (QMI Agency). Eight cars filled with gravel fell off th...
As the shipment of dangerous goods by rail increases, especially crude oil and other petroleum products, residents who live near railways are becoming more concerned about their safety, health, p...
On August 29, Amtrak filed an amended complaint with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) seeking an investigation of Canadian National Railway for causing unacceptable delays on the Illin...
Fifteen Canadian National Railway cars carrying grain derailed early in the morning August 31 near Hondo, about 200km northwest of Edmonton, Alberta (Edmonton Sun). Initial reports suggested 25 c...
There seems to be no end to the number of Canadian National Railway derailments lately. This morning, a CN derailment south of York University in Toronto caused delays for several hours on the Ba...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/four-more-canadian-national-railway-derailments/
Recent comments by Canadian National Railway public affairs spokespeople confirm concerns expressed in the past by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada that CN routinely does not repor...
Seven cars of a 105-car Canadian National Railway train derailed and overturned on a main line August 1, 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Times-Picayune and other sources). One derailed car was f...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/rash-of-canadian-national-railway-derailments/
More than 1.1 million gallons of oil spilled from rail tank cars in the U.S. in 2013…more than the total volume spilled from 1975 to 2012 combined (New Republic). These data, together with the ...
Three Canadian National Railway locomotives and 3 CN cars derailed, striking a Wisconsin and Southern train last night at a rail crossing in Slinger, Wisconsin, causing at least another 7 cars to...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/canadian-national-railway-train-derails-and-spills-fuel/
Rail and Reason has recently posted this article on a simple, common-sense, and inexpensive way for decreasing disturbance caused by loud train whistles or horns, especially at night. In Tasmania...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/common-sense-way-of-decreasing-train-noise/
The fifth reported Canadian National Railway derailment in 6 weeks in Alberta occurred July 12 north of Three Hills, about 60 kilometres northeast of Calgary (CBC News). 15 cars derailed, causing...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/another-canadian-national-railway-derailment-in-alberta/
There were more railway accidents in Canada involving dangerous goods in 2014 than during the same time period last year; in fact, dangerous goods accidents increased by over 21%. CTV News recent...
Early this morning, 26 Canadian National Railway cars derailed in Brockville, Ontario, including 13 tanker cars carrying hazardous goods residue (up to 2,000 gallons per car), 5 cars carrying car...
“Keep the oil off the rails and in the ground.” That’s the message for the week of action across North America starting July 6 to commemorate the 47 people who were killed in Lac-Mégantic ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/stop-oil-by-rail-call-to-action-july-6-13/
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/04/oil-by-rail-week-of-action-starts-july-6/
Although early reports are conflicting, it appears a Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil, methanol, gravel and lumber derailed early this morning near Whitecourt, Alberta (QMI Agen...
Oil Change International has recently released a 30-page report titled, “Runaway Train: The Reckless Expansion of Crude-by-Rail in North America”. As quoted from the May 2014 report, “This ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/reckless-expansion-of-crude-by-rail-in-north-america/
A Canadian National Railway train derailed around 3:45 p.m. June 11 near the hamlet of Faust, Alberta, about 60km west of Slave Lake (Global News). Twenty cars fell off the main line tracks: 17 c...
About 50,000 litres of molten sulphur were spilled May 30, 2014 when 7 Canadian National Railway cars derailed 72 kilometres north of Lac La Biche, Alberta (Brandon Sun). Initial reports suggest ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/two-more-canadian-national-railway-derailments/
As trains hauling flammable liquids, including crude oil, are increasing in number in North America, fire departments are becoming increasingly concerned about their ability to effectively deal w...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/fire-departments-poorly-prepared-for-oil-train-fires/
On May 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled Wayne Laidler had been wrongfully fired by Canadian National Railway (Times Herald)...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/employees-complaints-against-canadian-national-railway/
Criminal negligence charges are being laid against Montreal, Maine & Atlantic (MMA) Railway and 3 of its employees in relation to the July 6, 2013 runaway oil train derailment, explosion and fire...
Railroaded has previously blogged about the need for municipalities and the public to receive information from railway companies on what hazardous goods are being transported (and when) through o...
As the transportation of oil by rail is increasing at alarming rates, the number of derailments and spills is also increasing. The latest reported derailment and spill occurred May 9, 2014 in nor...
Canadian National Railway experienced several derailments and other accidents during the past week. On May 9, 2014, 6 CN rail cars fell off the tracks just outside Grand Falls, New Brunswick, as ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/more-canadian-national-railway-accidents/
The Vancouver Sun recently reported that train derailments in British Columbia increased 21% to 110 incidents in 2013, the highest in 5 years, based on Transportation Safety Board of Canada dat...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/b-c-train-derailments-jump-21-in-2013/
The federal government has recently said Imperial Oil must follow rules set out by the Sahtu Land and Water Board for clean-up of Imperial’s 70-year-old oil pumping operations in Norman Wells, ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/more-environmental-problems-for-imperial-oil-ltd/
Canadian National Railway reports submitted to the B.C. Environment Ministry on the impacts of a coal train derailment and spill January 11, 2014 in Burnaby were considered “deficient” and �...
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada has recently discovered more than 100 rail incidents that were not reported by Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway and Montreal Mai...
It’s mind-boggling lately to listen to Montreal-based Canadian National Railway CEO Claude Mongeau ranting and raving about the proposed new Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. This is the legisla...
In the aftermath of numerous recent oil train derailments, including the worst last July in Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada renewed its call ye...
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada released 2013 transportation safety statistics on March 26, which show a 53% increase in rail-related fatalities over the previous year and a 67% h...
The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act tabled March 26 by the federal government has stirred a growing debate about the rail transport monopolies in Canada, held by Canadian National Railway and Can...
Rail and Reason recently reported on a University of Washington study that confirms people who live close to rail lines are exposed to increased levels of harmful microscopic particles from carci...
Although it was Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MM&A) Railway that received most of the public attention following the derailment last July in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, the Canadian federal government ...
A Canadian National Railway worker died yesterday in Montreal when he was crushed between 2 railway cars (Montreal Gazette). The worker was on a train that was backing up when one of the cars der...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/cn-worker-dead-following-derailment/
In November last year, in response to intense pressure from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Transport Canada issued a directive requiring the major railways, Canadian National Ra...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/railways-insist-hazardous-material-lists-be-kept-secret/
In response to mounting pressure and criticism from grain farmers and provincial agriculture ministers, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced an Order-in-Council yesterday that orders Canadian ...
Senators, attending a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing yesterday, complained that government regulators are taking too long to write and pass new rail safety rules in response to the r...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/u-s-senate-conducts-hearing-on-rail-safety/
“Railroad Workers United (RWU) has embarked upon a campaign to limit the length and tonnage of freight trains across North America. The goal is to reverse the long running trend whereby the rai...
A backlog of grain rail car orders in Canada tops 60,000, 8 times more than a year ago, causing an estimated $3.5 billion in lost sales to date (Edmonton Journal). Many farmers are blaming Canadi...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/grain-sale-losses-skyrocket-as-rail-backlogs-continue/
As pressure mounts from municipalities, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), state politicians, rail safety experts and rail workers to improve rail safety, an agreement has recently ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/u-s-railroads-agree-to-transport-oil-more-safely/
An Ipsos Reid poll conducted in late January of this year for CTV News found 69% of Canadians believe pipelines are the best way to ship oil, while only 18% prefer rail. 54% of those polled have ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/poll-pipelines-safer-than-rail-for-shipping-crude-oil/
Rail companies and some shippers appear to be finally taking concrete steps to improve the safety of rail tank cars, under tremendous pressure from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, some...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/railways-make-more-money-shipping-crude-oil-than-grain/
Since our last report on Canadian National Railway derailments, there have been many more; following are just a few of them: Feb 24, 2014. Fairbanks, St. Louis County, Minnesota. 50 CN cars plus ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/spate-of-canadian-national-railway-derailments/
CN and CP politely told Edmonton city officials to mind their own business when city officials raised concerns last year about the inordinately long traffic waits at many railway crossings in Edm...
Competition by the oil industry for railway track space is causing a major backlog in grain shipments by CN and CP. That’s what grain farmers across Canada are saying as they see their bumper c...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/cn-and-cp-bottlenecks-hurting-grain-farmers/
Following a rash of oil train derailments, safety experts are calling for the older model DOT-111 tank car to be replaced or significantly upgraded (Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun). The majorit...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/flimsy-rail-tank-cars-need-replacing-or-upgrading/
Rick Bilozer is suing Imperial Oil for allegedly contaminating his family’s farm located between Devon and Calmar (Edmonton Journal). The lawsuit lists a string of alleged environmental infract...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/farm-contaminated-by-imperial-oil/
One of the latest CN derailments occurred yesterday morning in north Edmonton when 3 moving trains collided. Three locomotives, 2 tank cars loaded with dangerous goods and 1 empty flat car fell o...
About 50 homes (150 people) near Plaster Rock, New Brunswick were forced to evacuate January 7, 2014 following the derailment of a Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil and propane (...
Once again, the federal government has given in to the powerful rail industry, this time with respect to the manning of hazardous goods trains. An emergency directive, issued by Transport Canada ...
https://railroaded.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/transport-canada-gives-in-to-rail-industry-again/
Twenty-one cars and 2 locomotives of a mile-long Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway train derailed December 30, 2013, near Casselton, North Dakota, overturning oil tanker cars that explo...
As 2013 nears its end, here are a few odds and sods that our followers may find of interest: Mobile Alabama Residents Concerned about Rail Storage and Transportation of Oil Mobile City Council re...
The attorney representing Canadian National Railway crew members who were injured when 93 cars derailed in Two Harbors, Minnesota on December 5, 2013, blamed the incident on CN’s failure to rem...
As in-depth media investigative reporting continues to uncover unbelievable stories about the poor state of Canada’s rail safety, it is becoming clear that both the rail industry and Transport ...