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On July 6, 2013 a significant rail crash happened in Lac Megantic, Quebec, which killed 47 people and destroyed the downtown core of the community.

News – Rail (2013)

Date	Source	Title	Comment
2013-12-31	CTV News	Train back on tracks after derailing in Kitchener’s north end	One wheel of freight train derailed likely due to ice buildup
2013-12-31	Bloomberg	Crude on the Move	Tim Catts
2013-12-31	ABC News	Mayor: ND Town Dodged a Bullet in Crude Explosion	Dave Kolpack
2013-12-18	BDN Maine Business	Maine-based railroad will be sold at auction as trains once again roll through devastated Quebec town	Whit Richardson Lac Megantic
2013-12-09	CBC News	TSB says CN Rail failed to report hundreds of derailments, collisions	John Nicol, Dave Seglins
2013-12-06	Kennebec Journal	Bankrupt Maine railroad chooses bidder	J. Craig Anderson Lac Megantic
2013-12-02	Globe and Mail	Inside the oil-shipping free-for-all that brought disaster to Lac-Mégantic	Grant Robertson and Jacquie McNish Lac Megantic (Link to AO Oil & Gas coverage)
2013-12-01	Associated Press (USA)	FDNY: 'Multiple injuries' in NYC train derailment	New York passenger train derailment
2013-11-22	CTV News	Harper commits up to $95 million for Lac-Megantic decontamination	The Canadian Press Lac Megantic
2013-11-21	CBC News	Lac-Mégantic cleanup to get as much as $95M from Ottawa	Susana Mas
2013-11-20	Recorder (USA)	Train car bursts into flames in Orange	David Rainville
2013-11-14	Pottsgrove Mercury (USA)	Railroads support retrofitting flammable liquid cars	Lac Megantic
2013-11-08	Reuters	Train carrying crude oil derails, explodes in Alabama	Edward McAllister
2013-11-05	St. Louis Post-Dispatch	Railroad pedestrian deaths continue to rise this year	Todd C. Frankel
2013-11-03	Globe and Mail	CN train carrying hazardous materials derails west of Edmonton	Jeffrey Jones - Peers County - second train in two weeks
2013-10-24	CBC News	CN hiding derailment, falsifying stats, employees allege	John Nicol
2013-10-21	CBC News	13 recent rail incidents across Canada
2013-10-20	Vancouver Observer	Another Canadian train derails, enflaming controversy over dangers of transporting crude	Jenny Uechi
2013-10-20	Calgary Herald	CN defends safety record in face of three train derailments within a month	“A departmental briefing note obtained under access to information laws said CN was reportedly working with Chinese-owned oil giant Nexen to examine transporting crude by rail to be loaded onto tankers for export to Asia.”
2013-10-19	CTV News	13 train cars carrying liquid petroleum gas, crude oil derail in Alberta	Gainford, Alta
2013-10-16	Reuters	Canada to let Quebec crash railroad keep operating through end of January	Lac Megantic
2013-10-07	Stockhouse (Mtl)	MM&A railroad finds interest from eight potential buyers	The Canadian Press Lac Megantic
2013-10-07	CTV News Toronto	Freight train derailment delays GO transit trains	Chris Kitching
2013-10-02	Youtube / Standard General Inc. Edmonton	Video:  Windfall Gravel Supply by Rail Video (5 mins)	Standard General Inc. AO Info – Aggregate
2013-09-26	Connect Amarillo (USA)	Railroad line reopens after 3-train wreck	3-train wreck, no hazardous cargo
2013-09-26	Business Insurance	Railroad in Canada explosion has adequate insurance through Oct. 18	Judy Greenwald Lac Megantic
2013-09-25	CBC	CN train derailment in Saskatchewan causes grass fire, oil leak
2013-09-18	O.Canada	Six people confirmed dead after bus slams into Via train at crossing near Ottawa	Joanne Laucius, Andrew Seymour, Tom Spears and David Reevely
2013-09-13	KEPRTV.com (USA)	Railroad car leaks 20,000 gallons of ammonia in Harrington
2013-09-11	Dickinson Press (USA)	Railroad industry waiting for new regulations over tank cars	TJ Jerke
2013-09-11	Globe and Mail	Crude that exploded in Lac-Megantic was mislabeled: officials	Jacquie McNish, Grant Robertson and Kim Mackrael Lac Megantic
2013-09-10	New American	Warren Buffett’s Railroad Tests Natural Gas to Drive its Locomotives	Bob Adelmann
2013-09-05	Macleans	Troubled railroad at centre of Quebec disaster could be sold by year’s end	Lac Megantic Bellingham Herald article
2013-08-29	Montreal Gazette	U.S. railroad body discusses safety	Lac Megantic
2013-08-15	Vancouver Observer	Taxpayers on the hook for Lac Megantic damage:  expect the same for pipelines, says economist	Jenny Uechi Lac Megantic
2013-08-13	CBC News (Montreal)	Pollution in Lac-Megantic at high levels, study says	Lac Megantic
2013-08-09	National Post	In wake of Lac Mégantic tragedy, U.S. Railroad Administration says crude being shipped in unsafe rail cars	William Marsden
2013-08-09	Winnipeg Free Press	Railroad granted credit protection	Andy Blatchford Lac Megantic
2013-08-07	CTV News	Railroad files for bankruptcy after deadly Lac-Megantic trail derailment	Lac Megantic
2013-08-07	Morning Sentinel	Railroad executive puzzled by police raid	Eric Russell Lac Megantic
2013-08-07	STL Today (USA)	Railroad pedestrian accidents on the rise in 2013	Todd C. Frankel
2013-07-30	RBN Energy LLC	Go Your Own Way – The Rail vs. Pipeline Bitumen Challenge	Sandy Fielden
2013-07-29	Charleston Gazette	Oil, railroad industries fight safety attempt to retrofit rail cars	Lac Megantic
2013-07-28	WOWT News	Fewer Accidents at Iowa Railroad Crossings But Deaths Up
2013-07-26	CTV News	Harper, Johnston to attend Lac-Megantic memorial mass Saturday	Lac Megantic
2013-07-24	Globe and Mail	American rail union wants U.S. to mandate 2-member train crews	David Sharp Lac Megantic
2013-07-23	Globe and Mail	Ottawa gives railways new guidelines for hazardous goods in wake of Lac-Megantic tragedy	Shawn McCarthy and Jacquie McNish Lac Megantic - town paying for cleanup + DOT -111 rail cars
2013-07-19	The Province	TSB says Transport Canada making little progress in fixing safety oversight	Mike de Souza
2013-07-19	News on 6 (USA)	Valve Closed on Railroad Tank Car Leaking Acid in Sand Springs	Human error
2013-07-18	CTV News	Railroad companies review safety procedures in wake of Lac-Megantic disaster	Lac Megantic
2013-07-13	Financial Post	CN Rail to launch Alberta frac sand terminal service amid growing shale demand
2013-07-13	Bloomberg Businessweek	Crane to clear train tracks in deadly French crash	Bastien Inzaurralde and Elaine Ganley
2013-07-12	Gazette (Montreal)	Opinion:  As a former rail engineer, I need to speak out	James Goodrich Lac Megantic
2013-07-10	Toronto Star	CN serves mom suit over son’s crash	Alyshah Hasham
2013-07-11	StarTribune (USA)	Former railroad site in St. Paul to become nature sanctuary	Don Jacobson Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary – cleanup of railroad legacy:  elevated levels of arsenic, lead and petroleum byproducts
2013-07-11	Chicago Tribune	Raiload CEO says employee failed to set brakes as Quebec town mourns	Julie Gordon Lac Megantic
2013-07-11	CNN	Railroad CEO heckled in ravaged Quebec Town	Joe Sterling Lac Megantic
2013-07-10	Vancouver Sun	Railroad firm’s response to Quebec tragedy mystifies public relations experts	Jennifer Ditichburn Lac Megantic
2013-07-09	CBC News	Safety rules lag as oil transport by train rises	Lucas Powers
2013-07-09	Toronto Star	Flooded Train Rescue	Toronto, along Don River
2013-07-09	Bloomberg	Anger Mounts in Quebec Town as Tanker Crash Deaths Rise	Lauren S. Murphy Lac Megantic Cdn rail stats
2013-07-08	NWI Times (USA)	Railroad quiet zones become effective in Schererville	Chas Reilly Install delineators at crossings
2013-07-08	WECT (USA)	Railroad problems cause concerns for some following derailment	Ben Powell Rotten wood and raised spikes, poor local track conditions
2013-07-06	Reuters	Train in Canadian derailment headed by Chicago rail veteran	P.J. Huffstutter and Scott Haggett Lac Megantic
2013-07-06	Wall Street Journal	Quebec Derailment, Blaze Come as Railroads Carry More Crude Across North America	Angel Gonzalez and Ben Lefebvre Lac Megantic
2013-07-06	Globe and Mail	Massive Explosions Strike Quebec Town After Train Carrying Oil Derails	Canadian Press Newsclip video Lac Megantic
2013-06-28	WECT (USA)	UPDATE: Crews have all derailed train cars back on track near Love Grove	four of the six cars contained a flammable material known as Xylenes, but none leaked
2013-06-28	KJ Online (USA)	Protesters, railroad disagree on Fairfield fracked oil train’s presence	Kaitlin Schroeder Route from Maine into New Brunswick
2013-06-23	Rock 95 News	Pedestrian Struck by Train Near Torrance	CTV Coverage
2013-06-14	Rock Products	Canadian Company Accelerating $33 million Railroad Upgrade	Canadian National in Wisconsin USA
2013-06-13	BG Daily News	Railroad says broken rail caused derailment	- derailment of 13 cars, some carrying thousands of gallons of dangerous chemicals - at West Point, ensuing fire burned for days.  Highway was shut-down/restricted for nearly a month
2013-06-08	Gothamist	Cyclist fatally struck at LIRR railroad crossing in Suffolk County (USA)	Rebecca Fishbein
2013-06-08	Wenatchee World	A railroad ticket for the salmon	Editorial Repairing surface course damage one century later
2013-06-05	American Chemistry Council	New Research Shows Freight Rail Rates Skyrocketed Following Railroad Industry Consolidation	Scott Jensen Competitive switching reform proposal
2013-06-01	Delmarvanow.com	Wrecks belie improving rail safety	Josh Funk, Associated Press
2013-05-21	Greenpeace Cda	Blog:  Is the oil industry using unsafe rail cars to transport crude?	Keith Stewart @ClimateKeith
2013-05-21	Financial Post	CP Rail rushes to contain oil leak after train derails in Saskatchewan	Scott Deveau
2013-05-20	Daily Republic	Trees will be used to cleanse contaminated railroad site	Braley Dodson “They are just trees” – seems like a godsend if it works
2013-05-17	Mining Journal	Railroad safety: Hikers warned to stay off tracks	Jackie Stark Cliffs Natural Resources, Michigan
2013-05-07	Washington Post	Railroad plans to expand ethanol shipments alarm Alexandria officials	Patricia Sullivan Proposal to double the amount of ethanol
2013-04-29	Wall Street Journal	Boom Times for a Tiny Texas Town	Russell Gold
2013-04-13	KB0I2.com	Police ride the rails to enforce railroad traffic violations
2013-04-10	Berkshire Eagle	Housatonic Railroad cleans up second train derailment in a month	Dick Lindsay 6 cars of a 35 car train
2013-04-01	Wall Street Journal	Blog:  Canada’s “Rail Pipeline” Now Accounts for More Than 5% of Rail Cargo	Chip Cummins
2013-03-30	Washington Examiner	Michael Barone: Why freight rail pays and passenger trains flunk	Michael Barone opinion
2013-03-28	Wayne Post	Railroad spur to High Acres Landfill won’t have big impact on trucks	Steve Buchiere will allow an increase in garbage volume without putting more trucks on road
2013-03-28	Twin Cities	Railroad lowers estimate of oil spill in western Minnesota derailment	Associated Press
2013-03-	Wall Street Journal	Boom Times on the Tracks:  Rail Capacity, Spending Soar	Betsy Morris
2013-03-17	JournalNews	Police reports: Rock dropped from railroad overpass	Eric Schwartzberg Rail safety issue
2013-03-15	EcoWatch	Oregon Residents Sound the Alarm on Pending Coal Export Permit	Power Past Coal blocking crucial intersections and delaying emergency response times
2013-03-15	Dallas Business Journal	DART’s Blue Line extension will go green with recycled railroad ties	Nicholas Sakelaris made from a composite of recycled polyethylene plastic and fiberglass
2013-03-06	MarketPlace.org	Railroad to make shift to natural gas locomotives	David Weinberg
2013-03-04	Journal Advocate	Railroad reopened after 23 cars leave tracks (USA)	Sara Waite
2013-03-04	St. Louis Post-Dispatch	Pedestrians killed by trains spiked in 2012 despite “safest year” in railroad history	Todd C. Frankel
2013-03-03	Star-Telegram	18-year-old killed by train while crossing railroad tracks in Fort Worth	Domingo Ramirez Jr. a group of young people ran across the tracks Update NBCDFW.com
2013-02-27	SalisburyPost.com	Tractor trailer stuck on railroad crossing in Granite Quarry, removed by tow truck	Shavonne Potts Tractor trailer landing gear did not clear crossing so unable to move forward or backward.
2013-02-21	CBS DFW	Crude Oil Railroad Shipments Triple in 2012
2013-02-14	New York Times	Now Atlanta is Turning Old Tracks Green	Robbie Brown
2013-02-13	CBS Minnesota	Foggy crash at railroad, crash kills Kelsey man, 28	dense fog weather condition
2013-02-11	KJRH News	Concrete chunks falling from railroad overpass concerns residents	Sara Goldenberg Who is responsible for bridge and overpass safety?  What guarantees that structures will be maintained at safe & acceptable levels?  What are safe & acceptable levels?
2013-02-10	WXYZ Action News	Truck hit by train on Wixom railroad tracks	Tom Wait Video footage
2013-02-10	USA Today	Railroad threatens a quiet Amish way of life	John S. Adams
2013-02-10	Merrillville Community	Merrillville seeks improvements to railroad crossings	Chas Reilly Township has received complaints about condition of road crossings
2013-02-08	7 News	Woman hit by train posing for pictures	Note that a train can extend one metre beyond either side of the tracks.
2013-02-08	Timesunion.com	Railroad probing 11-car Glenville derailment	Jordan Carleo-Evangelist crews were in the process of breaking down a larger train into a smaller one
2013-02-07	NewsObserver.com	DOT to investigate railroad crossing where motorist was struck and killed by train	Thomasi McDonald there have been 10 rail accidents and five fatalities statewide (North Carolina) since the beginning of the year
2013-02-07	Moose FM 99.5	Police Identify Man Killed in Train Crash in Severn	OPP continue to investigate why the vehicle was on the tracks
2013-02-07	ABC Eyewitness News	Thousands of jobs coming to railroad	Omaha, Nebraska, USA 11,000 people and $13 billion (to replace 22% of workforce expected to retire)
2013-02-06	Michigan MLive	Vehicle stuck under railroad gate arm in Jackson after being rear ended, police say	Jon Szerlag
2013-02-06	First Coast News	Train conductors, engineers deal with traumatic accidents on railroad	Lewis Turner over the course of a career it's not if, but when train crews will witness fatalities.
2013-02-05	Albany Democrat-Herald	Railroad files trespassing complaint against residents	Alex Paul Railroad demanding one time registration fee and annual permit fee to residents whose driveways cross the tracks.  Insurance purposes.
2013-02-04	SunSentinel	Locomotive hits Mercedes-Benz at Wilton Manors railroad crossing	Wayne K. Roustan Driver expected to survive
2013-01-31	WSET.ca	Repairs coming to railroad crossing in Appomattox	Sally Delta
2013-01-31	Arlington Citizen-Journal	Railroad crossing work ends a week early	Susan Schrock
2013-01-31	CarolinaLive	Rail Committee Pushes Railroad Owner to Take Action	Joel Allen
2013-01-31	Digital Journal	Railroad Safety in Illinois	Press Release (law office) - rail crossings are common sites for train accidents - cost of maintaining rail crossings - accident record
2013-01-31	PlymouthPatch	Canadian Pacific Railroad increases speed through Plymouth	Lisa Furgison - speeds will jump from 25mph (40km) to 40mph (64km) - increase in speed coincides with track - improvements city has no say in the railroad’s decision - it takes 1 to 1.5 miles (2.5km) for a train to come to a stop
2013-01-30	Greenpeace	Video: Get the Coal Energy Facts: Help Us Stop Coal Exports	The role of trains in the USA coal export business.
2013-01-29	UpperSauconPatch.com	Train Hits Car Stuck on Railroad Tracks	Lehigh Valley Patch Staff more than 2,000 car-train incidents at public and private rail crossings in 2011. Those resulted in 271 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries.
2013-01-25	GoErie.com	Disabled train blocks trafffic at 2 city railroad crossings
2013-01-22	The Tennessean	Short line railroad faces extinction in Tennessee	Associated Press
2013-01-14	Grafton Daily Voice	MAssDEP: Grafton & Upton Railroad Made Improvements	Richard Price Railroad upgrades caused significant violations on abutting property.  Owner claims his railroad is pre-empted from local laws.  Works with regulators despite claim.
2013-01-14	FuelFix (Statoil)	Oil industry beats Buffett in railroad investments surge	Bloomberg
2013-01-13	Darien Times	Cameron: Connecticut’s new railroad	Jim Cameron Passenger rail
2013-01-07	The Gazette	Iowa Interstate Railroad sues truck driver involved in Coralville train collision	Vanessa Miller The crash has cost Iowa Interstate Railroad $82,323 to date “in property damage for the destruction and replacement of the crossing signals for the railroad crossing at issue,” according to the lawsuit.  The railroad company also is arguing that the truck owner and employer should be held accountable for the driver’s “negligent conduct.”

Other Information:

AO News Rail 2014

AO News Rail 2012 and earlier

“MMA [Montreal Maine and Atlantic] is one of many North American railroads that have stepped up crude-by-rail deliveries as producers seek alternatives to pipelines that have been stretched to capacity by higher U.S. and Canadian output.  That has led to a shift in the type of rail cars passing through small towns like Lac-Megantic. According to residents, the trains used to carry mainly lumber, but now they carry various hazardous materials.”  Julie Gordon, Reuters (article)

*** Notice that the information on this web page and the associated website have been compiled through private amateur research for the purpose of allowing the reader to make an informed and educated decision.  However, while the information is believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. ***

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