This week, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) unveiled its investigation report into the February 6, 2020, derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) freight train near Guernsey, Saskatchewan.
The incident involved a CP unit train transporting petroleum crude oil along the Sutherland Subdivision. An emergency brake application initiated by the train led to the derailment near a public crossing. Thirty-two tank cars overturned, spilling approximately 1.75 million liters of crude oil, which subsequently ignited. The resulting fire forced the closure of Highway 16 and the evacuation of about 85 residents from Guernsey. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported.
The investigation concluded that the derailment was most likely caused by the failure of a plug rail joint installed about a week prior. The plug rail joint experienced poor support and temperature fluctuations, leading to the loosening of joint bar bolts. This loosening likely caused the bolts to shear, resulting in the joint’s failure and a gap in the rail, which the train could not safely pass over.
This derailment was strikingly similar to another accident that occurred just two months earlier near Guernsey, where a CP freight train derailed, spilling 1.77 million litres of crude oil. Following these incidents, the TSB issued two Rail Safety Advisories to Transport Canada (TC):
- Advisory 02/20: Recommended TC review and potentially modify train speeds for those carrying dangerous goods, considering various risk profiles and factors influencing derailment severity.
- Advisory 03/20: Suggested TC revise the Rules Respecting Track Safety to enhance standards for key routes.
In response to these advisories and the subsequent investigations, significant safety actions were taken. Transport Canada issued ministerial orders requiring the rail industry to revise the Rules Respecting Key Trains and Key Routes, as well as the Rules Respecting Track Safety. These rules now include numerous safety improvements for the operation of key trains and the inspection and maintenance of track infrastructure.
Canadian Pacific has also implemented several safety measures post-incident. These include deploying a wayside system to detect rail breaks in non-signalled territories like the Sutherland Subdivision, increasing the number of autonomous track geometry measuring systems, and upgrading the track infrastructure on the Sutherland Subdivision.