Rail News
Yes, railroads opened this country; and yes, truck transportation later took over for rail. Today many of the abandoned rail lines have been turned into public trails by local communities. However, with higher fuel costs and an interest in selling natural resource products abroad, there is a renewed business interest in rail.
Read Canadian Geographic’s Railway Revival by Monte Paulsen and Tobin Grimshaw.
Now people must decide whether to let go of their public rail trails and allow trains to chuff through their communities once again.
Questions/Points to Ponder:
√ Who owns the rail right-of-way today? If the rail right-of-way was given to The People, does the local council have the right to sell the right-of-way to private interests? This question may have to be answered in court. Should the right-of-way be sold or leased?
√ How much of the route is being established through expropriation (“eminent domain” in the USA)?
√ If the rail right-of-way has been adopted as a public multi-use trail system used for walking, biking, hiking, horseback riding, atving, skiing and snowmobiling, what social clubs are being affected? Are they aware of the issue?
√ Do people have any say in this matter? Let your local government know your opinion.
√ Good things could come from rail – cheaper agriculture shipping and passenger commuter service (GO Train) for instance – but other scenarios are garbage from the city or aggregate from the country. Don’t forget uranium, radioactive or other toxic materials (crude oil traveling in inferior unmodified DOT 111 rail cars).
√ Are all the existing bridges and overpasses safe or will they have to be rebuilt? Who is responsible for regularly checking for structural safety and to what standard? Who will pay the bill?
√ Today the technology for rail is substantially different, even from 5 years ago. Rail cars are physically lighter. Distributed power – the practice of placing remote-controlled locomotives along the length of the train – has improved handling and performance and made longer trains possible. All the changes mean that Canada’s freight railways can move a tonne of freight nearly 200 km on one litre of fuel (source article). However, the downside is that container-carting intermodal trains can be 4 kms in length. These trains cannot stop quickly and can take 2 kms to come to a halt. If somebody or something gets in their way or the train derails, the damage is significant.
√ Rail companies are asking for higher and higher track speeds.
√ Rail crossings are a common site for train accidents especially with trains traveling at higher speeds. What safety precautions are being taken? Who pays?
√ How much say will your community have in decisions being taken by the rail company (i.e. increasing track speeds, closing crossings, upgrading safety measures)?
√ What kind of detailed record keeping does your community expect from the rail company, especially in regard to health/safety/accidents?
√ If a 4 km train stops in your town, does traffic also stop? What is the impact?
√ If the rail route goes past a school or through town, will the track be fenced? Who pays to keep the fence maintained (often fences are deliberately cut)?
√ Rail companies operate under the premise that tracks are off-limits and people who cross or walk along rail tracks are trespassing. Therefore, rail companies refuse to take any responsibility for pedestrian deaths, which can include making any safety enhancements, reducing speeds, and/or keeping records, among other things.
√ Do communities have the right to ticket slow or obstructive trains?
√ Does the rail company have enough insurance to cover an accident? Especially an oil train accident (see Lac Mégantic) (article)
√ Is the Canadian rail industry starting to follow Transportation Safety Board guidelines? (article)
DOT-111 / CPC-1232 Rail Cars
DOT-111 tank cars are extremely vulnerable to puncture, spilling oil, and precipitating explosions and fires in train accidents.
"It was not designed for flammable or hazardous liquids so it might be something that you would ship corn oil in but its being used extensively to carry flammable liquids and that is part of the problem." Christopher A. Hart, National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (source)
These are the same type of tank cars that were used in the train that derailed and exploded in the small Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic last July, killing 47 people and destroying the town’s center.
In Canada all tanker cars were expected to conform to high standards by 2017. (article) (USA 25-Apr-2015 article)
"The DOT-111 is basically the Ford Pinto of tanker cars." Tom Weisner, Mayor of Aurora, IL (source)
As of January 1, 2018 DOT-111s were barred from being used to transport bulk quantities of crude oil or ethanol across North America. (source)
CPC-1232 tanks cars are slightly safer but continue to derail, puncture and explode. They are allowed to stay in operation until 2025.
DOT-117 / 117R Rail Cars
Initially the touted much-improved DOT 117 design was untested in an actual crash. (article)
On June 22, 2018 a derailed train spilled 230,000 gallons of Canadian crude in the flooded Iowa River. This crash, near Doon, Iowa, USA was the first involving the new, safer DOT-117R tank cars. (article)
Link to AO Spills & Explosions
Explosive Contents
Most bitumen currently shipped by rail from Alberta is in the form of "dilbit" — bitumen mixed with 30% or more diluent to make it flow. It is highly volatile and will explode in a derailment as Gogama, Ontario accidents in February and March 2015 demonstrated. Until Gogama, diluted bitumen was thought to be much safer than Bakken crude.
Bitumen shipped in its raw form (called neatbit) is much safer than dilbit. It does not explode or flow, but few companies are using or considering this option because it requires special insulated tank cars with heating coils.
SAFETY
As at 2017, it is generally recommended that the phase-out of inadequate tank cars currently set for 2025 should be accelerated and better braking systems mandated. As well, trains carrying dangerous goods should be shorter and travel at lower speeds. (article)
SPECIFIC ISSUES
- Gogama derailment, Mattagami First Nations
- General: AO Spills & Explosions
OTHER INFORMATION
Link to Transport Canada’s Identification Number Index
Link to Oil Trainspotting: A Visual Guide (facebook)
Link to CBC article: What’s that train carrying? Safety placards offer a clue
Transport Canada Emergency Response Guidebook 2012
NEWS Rail
|
Date |
Source |
Title |
Comment |
|
2020-10-23 |
CBC News |
CP Rail failed to identify hazards linked to deadly derailment, Transport Canada finds |
Dave Seglins, Joseph Loiero |
|
2020-09-27 |
Bclocalnews.com |
Clean up efforts continue after 60-car derailment, potash spill near Hope |
|
|
2020-06-02 |
BNN Bloomberg |
Rise in rail shipments points to beginnings of rebound in Canada |
Jen Skerritt |
|
2020-05-15 |
CBC news |
Dave Seglins, Joseph Loiero |
|
|
2020-05-13 |
Calgary Herald |
Brakes on CP train were cleared by faulty test before fatal derailment, say inspectors |
Bill Kaufmann |
|
2020-02-19 |
Global News |
Train derails in northwestern Ontario near Emo and is leaking crude oil |
Elisha Dacey |
|
2020-01-20 |
Winnipeg Free Press |
Dylan Robertson |
|
|
2019-12-03 |
The Star |
CN cuts profit guidance due to strike, layoffs still planned despite backlog |
|
|
2019-09-17 |
CBC News |
Sparks from CN trains to blame for brush fires, Edmonton homeowner says |
Wallis Snowdon |
|
2019-07-22 |
CBC News |
2 trains collide, cars derail, at Fort Frances, Ont., crossing |
|
|
2019-07-01 |
Sarnia Observer |
Paul Morden |
|
|
2019-06-28 |
Global News |
Train carrying sulphuric acid derails in tunnel between Ontario and Michigan |
The Canadian Press |
|
2019-05-29 |
Omaha.com / Associated Press |
Trump administration withdraws proposal to require two-person rail crews |
The Associated Press |
|
2019-03-31 |
National Post |
One person in critical condition after train hits vehicle in Chatham-Kent, Ont. |
The Canadian Press {Accidents can and do happen} |
|
2019-03-19 |
TheProvince.com |
Bruce Campbell and Mark Winfield |
|
|
2019-03-04 |
TheNewsTribune.com (USA) |
Tom James |
|
|
2019-02-17 |
Global News (Vancouver) |
‘There has to be a balance:’ Residents fuming over plans to double East Vancouver rail traffic |
Simon Little |
|
2019-02-11 |
ProgressiveRailroading.com |
CP derailment prompts Transport Canada to add rail safety measures |
- Ministerial order |
|
2019-02-09 |
Star Tribune (USA) |
Safety officials concerned by sharp increase in oil train traffic from Canada |
Mike Hughlett |
|
2019-02-06 |
Calgary Herald |
'It was not anything the crew did': Brakes released on train, leading to fatal derailment: TSB |
Shawn Logan - 112 cars, 3 engines |
|
2019-02-04 |
Comment |
Grain train derailment in Field, BC. Three CP crew members were killed during the accident. |
(article) |
|
2019-02-02 |
CBC News |
Via Rail train evacuated after striking debris near Trenton, Ont. |
|
|
2019-01-22 |
Global News |
Canadian railways ration space as congestion problems worsen |
Rod Nickel |
|
2019-01-21 |
CBC News |
Transportation Safety Board's advice unheeded years after crashes |
Ryan Tumilty |
|
2019-01-10 |
RMOutlook.com / Rocky Mountain Outlook |
Cathy Ellis |
|
|
2019-01-08 |
Global News |
Record amount of Canadian oil exported by rail raises safety concerns |
Kaylen Small |
|
2019-01-03 |
ProgressiveRailroading.com |
|
|
|
2018-12-27 |
CBC News |
CN lining up partners to make bitumen pucks that can be shipped in open rail car, float in water |
The Canadian Press |
|
2018-12-12 |
Desmogblog.com |
Canadian Government Declares Oil Trains Safe and Plans to Get Into the Oil Train Business |
Justin Mikulka |
|
2018-11-21 |
Huffington Post |
Daniel Tencer |
|
|
2018-11-08 |
Yahoo News |
Uncontrolled 80-car Canadian Pacific train rolls a quarter kilometre through Calgary's inner city |
|
|
2018-10-29 |
Newswire.ca |
Minister Garneau’s statement on the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Watchlist |
- removal of transportation of flammable liquids by rail from Watchlist |
|
2018-09-26 |
EcoWatch / Common Dreams |
Trump Repeals Rule Meant to Prevent Oil-Carrying 'Bomb Trains' From Derailing and Exploding |
Jessica Corbett |
|
2018-09-16 |
Reuters |
USD Partners moving ahead with Canada crude by rail expansion |
Julie Gordon |
|
2018-09-04 |
Yahoo Finance |
Oil-by-train demand could surge 200 per cent without pipeline progress |
Jeff Lagerquist |
|
2018-08-23 |
Oilprice.com |
Tsvetana Paraskova - exceeding 200,000 bpd in June 2018 |
|
|
2018-08-09 |
WNEP.com (USA) |
Train Crash Spills Thousands of Gallons of Fuel Into Delaware River |
- 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the Delaware River |
|
2018-08-06 |
E&E News |
Blake Sobczak |
|
|
2018-07-23 |
CBC |
CP Rail manager guilty in case of train left on B.C. mountainside without handbrakes |
Bethany Lindsay |
|
2018-07-17 |
Toronto Star |
No danger after freight train derailment near Quebec-Ontario border, minister says |
The Canadian Press |
|
2018-07-05 |
CTV News |
Crew members hurt when Via Rail passenger train derails in Saskatchewan |
The Canadian Press |
|
2018-07-04 |
Times Colonist |
Canadian crude-by-rail exports rise to record high in April, NEB reports |
The Canadian Press |
|
2018-06-27 |
CBC News |
Rail safety watchdog calls for training overhaul after 74-car runaway train rolled through GTA |
|
|
2018-06-08 |
CTV News Edmonton |
Train cars loaded with crude oil derail near Red Deer Airport |
Diego Romero - 7 cars, 6 carrying crude oil - no spill reported |
|
2018-04-10 |
Columbia Valley Pioneer |
Oil-by-rail traffic rises as B.C. battles over Trans Mountain pipeline |
Tom Fletcher |
|
2018-03-20 |
Financial Post |
There's a way to relieve farmers of the railroad backlog, but Ottawa's ignoring it |
Mary-Jane Bennett |
|
2018-03-03 |
CBC News |
Via Rail halts passenger service after CN train derails near Kingston, Ont. |
Trevor Pritchard |
|
2018-02-26 |
CTV News |
Grain industry facing 'dire situation' as backlog of grain shipments grow |
The Canadian Press |
|
2018-02-20 |
Globe and Mail |
Accidents outpaced rise in traffic on Canadian railways in 2017:TSB |
Eric Atkins |
|
2018-02-08 |
CBC News |
|
|
|
2018-01-29 |
CTV News |
Man “knew his fate” when wheelchair became stuck in railway tracks: lawyer |
- wheelchair safety |
|
2018-01-28 |
Fox Business |
Canada's Oil Producers, in Standoff With Railways, Sit Out Oil-Price Rally |
Vipal Monga and David George-Cosh |
|
2018-01-11 |
CBC News Saskatchewan |
Rail joint cracks led to Saskatchewan potash train derailment, report says |
The Canadian Press |
|
2017-12-14 |
Bloomberg Markets |
Canadian Oil Shippers Find Rail Space Is Scarce as Prices Slide |
Robert Tuttle |
|
2017-11-25 |
Global News |
Phil Heidenreich |
|
|
2017-10-17 |
Global News |
13 train cars derail off historic CN trestle bridge near Wainwright in central Alberta |
Karen Bartko - high winds |
|
2017-10-14 |
Weather Network |
Hailey Montgomery - $43 million price tag to fix rail to Churchill |
|
|
2017-10-13 |
CTV News |
Canadian Press - four empty cars derailed and plunged into river |
|
|
2017-09-15 |
CBC News Saskatoon |
More than 30 train cars carrying potash derail southeast of Saskatoon |
Alicia Bridges |
|
2017-09-08 |
Global News |
Canadian Press - balls of bitumen |
|
|
2017-09-04 |
RailwayGazette.com |
|
|
|
2017-08-25 |
ManitobaCooperator.ca |
Greig: Southern Ontario farmers protest high-speed rail impact |
John Greig |
|
2017-08-23 |
Enterprise Bulletin |
JT McVeigh - Collingwood to Barrie |
|
|
2017-08-16 |
CBC New Brunswick |
Governments urged to get off 'caboose' and save Ocean rail service |
Elizabeth Fraser |
|
2017-08-11 |
CBC Manitoba |
|
|
|
2017-08-11 |
Toronto Star |
Claire Kilgour Hervey |
|
|
2017-07-19 |
Toronto Star |
|
|
|
2017-07-14 |
ETEnergyWorld.com |
Indian Railways introduces first-of-its-kind solar-powered train with battery back-up |
Anisha Dutta |
|
2017-06-12 |
CBC |
City releases details about dangerous goods on London trains |
Kate Dubinski |
|
2017-06-12 |
CBC |
Andrew Lupton |
|
|
2017-06-08 |
CNW Newswire.ca |
Misaligned switch led to August 2016 derailment of a CN train in Acton Vale, Quebec |
|
|
2017-06-05 |
Canadian Underwriter |
|
|
|
2017-05-16 |
CBC News (NB) |
'It's a concern': Latest minor derailment in Saint John under investigation |
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon |
|
2017-04-20 |
CTV News (BC) |
|
|
|
2017-04-20 |
ReportCA.net (BC) |
GlobalNews.ca |
|
|
2017-03-22 |
CBC News |
Pedestrian dies after collision with train near Hwy 144, north of Sudbury |
|
|
2017-03-09 |
CBC News |
TSB cites poor track conditions as cause of 2015 Spanish, Ont. derailment |
|
|
2017-03-08 |
Canadian Manufacturing |
Ground collapse responsible for 2015 Sudbury train derailment |
- poor track condition - failure of inspectors to recognize risk |
|
2017-03-05 |
CBC News |
Muriel Draaisma |
|
|
2016-12-28 |
KGW.com (BC) |
|
|
|
2016-12-17 |
CBC News (AL) |
|
|
|
2016-12-16 |
CBC News (BC) |
Wil Fundal |
|
|
2016-12-01 |
Orangeville Banner |
Judge dismisses Orangeville railway’s bid to recover $1.6M in taxes from Peel neighbours … again |
Chris Halliday |
|
2016-11-16 |
Globe and Mail |
Catastrophic rail failure caused train derailment in Saskatchewan: TSB |
The Canadian Press - October 2014 - “fell through the cracks”
|
|
2016-11-03 |
Globe and Mail |
Ottawa to require video and voice recorders on trains: Garneau |
Morgan Lowrie |
|
2016-10-31 |
Reuters Canada |
Canada safety watchdog says action needed on train crew fatigue |
|
|
2016-10-26 |
National Observer |
Opinion: Communities challenge oil trains in their neighbourhoods |
Bruce Campbell |
|
2016-10-26 |
CBC |
Female pedestrian killed after being struck by CN train west of Georgetown GO station |
|
|
2016-10-25 |
CBC |
Grain cars tumble into Fraser River as train derails north of Yale, B.C. |
Justin McElroy |
|
2016-10-21 |
CBC |
Toronto citizens group not satisfied with lists of dangerous cargo released by railways |
Philip Lee-Shanok |
|
2016-10-12 |
570news.com |
Federal government will spend $55 million over three years on rail safety |
Canadian Press |
|
2016-10-07 |
CBC News |
Thanksgiving Monday protest planned over cleanup from 2015 Gogama train derailment |
- Gogama derailment
|
|
2016-09-20 |
CBC News Manitoba |
|
|
|
2016-09-19 |
Desmog Blog |
Justin Mikulka - Part 3 |
|
|
2016-09-15 |
Desmog Blog |
Justin Mikulka - Part 2 |
|
|
2016-09-14 |
Desmog Blog |
Bomb Trains: What Can We Learn From Shipping Ethanol to Improve Oil-By-Rail Safety? |
Justin Mikulka - Part 1 |
|
2016-09-08 |
Winnipeg Free Press |
Mac Horsburgh - statistics re: crossing accidents |
|
|
2016-09-06 |
BendBulletin.com (USA) |
Secret bridge inspections vex those worried about oil trains |
Associated Press |
|
2016-09-05 |
Metro News Calgary |
Calgary train collision second in a month for Canadian Pacific |
Bryan Passifiume |
|
2016-08-31 |
CTV News |
Train derailed in northern Ontario after cracked rail gave way: TSB |
|
|
2016-08-27 |
Toronto Sun |
Jim Warren |
|
|
2016-08-26 |
Fox 61 |
Train carrying garbage catches fire near Union Station in Hartford |
Samantha Schoenfeld |
|
2016-08-23 |
Truro Daily |
Cape Breton group calls for public policy discussion on rail |
“Canada as a country doesn’t really have a clear transportation policy in regards to railways. It is time for Canada to step up to the international plate and define the role of railways in Canada for Canadians, not for railway companies.” Jason Morrison, rail society member |
|
2016-08-22 |
CBC News |
‘A failure in the system’: How 2 trains derailed in midtown Toronto |
Shanifa Nasser - human error? |
|
2016-08-21 |
Toronto Star |
Freight train derailment a ‘wake-up call’ on rail safety, councillor says |
Ebyan Abdigir - diesel fuel leak |
|
2016-08-18 |
BlastingNews |
Critical rail defects expose communities to devastating ‘train bombs’ |
Richard Frisbie |
|
2016-08-02 |
Financial Post |
Political meddling is putting Canada’s rail network at risk — right when we need it most |
Mary-Jane Bennett - rail company bias? |
|
2016-07-27 |
Global News |
Despite Lac-Mégantic safety improvements, runaway rail cars still an issue |
Alexa Huffman |
|
2016-07-27 |
TheBakken.com |
Canadian railways to phase out DOT-111 tank cars by November |
Luke Geiver |
|
2016-07-27 |
Timmins Press |
Redesigned tankers not enough to prevent future oil spills — Gogama fire chief |
Len Gillis - DOT-111 |
|
2016-07-04 |
Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
Broken rail due to undetected defect led to November 2014 train derailment near Pearce, Alberta |
Pearce, Alta derailment (Nov-2014) |
|
2016-06-13 |
Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
Damage to a crossover switch led to the August 2015 freight train derailment in Farnham Yard, Quebec |
Farnham Yard, Quebec derailment (10-Aug-2015) |
|
2016-05-11 |
CBC News Saskatoon |
|
|
|
2016-01-27 |
Kstp.com |
Crews Work to Clean Up after Train Derails in Southeastern Minnesota |
Dave Aeikens - CP Rail – 6 cars end up in Mississippi River - sodium chlorate |
|
2016-01-25 |
Reuters.com |
Once in high demand, North Dakota oil-by-rail shunned on East Coast |
Jarrett Renshaw |
|
2016-01-18 |
CBC News |
‘Excessive fatigue’ at CP an ‘immediate threat’ to rail safety: Transport Canada |
Dave Seglins |
|
2015-11-09 |
CBC |
Hardisty, Alta., rail facility may load more oil; Ottawa could review |
John Cotter |
|
2015-11-09 |
American Thinker |
Daniel John Sobieski |
|
|
2015-11-08 |
ABC News (USA) |
Associated Press |
|
|
2015-11-05 |
EcoWatch / Columbia Riverkeeper |
Portland City Council Passes Strong Resolution Opposing Oil Trains |
Columbia Riverkeeper |
|
2015-10-13 |
NewsMiner.com (USA) |
Matt Buxton |
|
|
2015-10-09 |
WOWKTV.com (USA) |
Federal Railroad Administration announces broken rail the cause of WV derailment |
Mandi Cardosi - Feb-2015 West Virginia derailment |
|
2015-09-17 |
CBC Radio |
Canadian rail company has no explanation after 47-car train goes missing |
|
|
2015-08-11 |
Seattle Times (USA) |
Associated Press |
|
|
2015-07-24 |
Vice News |
Railroad Companies Don’t Want to Disclose Where — and When — Their ‘Bomb Trains’ Are Traveling |
Aaron Cantu |
|
2015-06-07 |
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (USA) |
Holly Hills residents who protested trains carrying crude say railroad targeted them |
Leah Thorsen |
|
2015-05-15 |
Newday (USA) |
Tom Brune - Amtrak derailment – killed 8, injured 200 |
|
|
2015-05-04 |
OnEarth.org |
“In 2009, western crude filled a mere 8,000 rail tanker cars; in 2013, it filled 400,000. And rail accidents have increased apace. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, at least one train, on average, slips off the tracks in this country every single day.” |
|
|
2015-05-01 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
Jon Schmitz |
|
|
2015-04-25 |
News Net 5 Cleveland |
Feds, Norfolk Southern demand DOT-111 railroad tanker car safety improvements |
Joe Pagonakis |
|
2015-04-21 |
New York Times (USA) |
Jon Bowermaster |
|
|
2015-04-17 |
NY Times (USA) |
Jad Mouawad |
|
|
2015-04-09 |
Gazettenet.com (USA) |
Pedestrians, bicyclists still crossing railroad tracks in Northampton despite fence, safety concerns |
- safety concerns |
|
2015-04-09 |
Spokesman-Review |
Becky Kramer |
|
|
2015-03-31 |
Ring of Fire / DeSmogBlog |
Gary Bentley, Farron Cousins with Justin Mikulka |
|
|
2015-03-30 |
ABC News (USA) |
Josh Funk |
|
|
2015-03-30 |
Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
- Tellier, Que derailment (Nov-2014) |
|
|
2015-03-19 |
Daily Mail (UK) |
- China |
|
|
2015-03-17 |
WIVB.com |
Mark Belcher |
|
|
2015-03-17 |
CBC News |
- Gogama derailment |
|
|
2015-03-16 |
Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
- Fort Frances, ON derailment (May-2014) |
|
|
2015-03-07 |
Transportation Safety Board of Canada |
Derailment and fire of second Canadian National crude oil train near Gogama, Ontario |
- Gogama derailment #2 |
|
2015-03-06 |
Northwest Herald |
|
|
|
2015-03-05 |
|
|
- Minnipuka, ON derailment |
|
2015-02-17 |
Ring of Fire Radio |
Every Week A New Environmental Emergency in West Virginia; A Magnet for Pollution |
- oil train derailment in West Virginia, USA - 1,000 evacuated (update) |
|
2015-02-17 |
ThinkProgress.org |
West Virginia In State Of Emergency After Massive Oil Train Explosion |
Emily Atkin |
|
2015-02-14 |
|
|
- Gogama derailment #1 |
|
2015-02-02 |
Houston Chronicle |
Evan Michaelides - High speed rail as in Japan |
|
|
2015-02-01 |
Globe and Mail |
Eric Atkins & Jeffrey Jones |
|
|
2013-01-24 |
CBC News |
|
Other AWARE-Ontario Information:
AO Oil & Gas News – Quebec / Lac Mégantic Derailment
“Cities recognize parks are good for their economies. They’re no longer a nice thing to have, but a must.”
Will Rogers, President, Trust for Public Land, San Francisco (article)
Return to AWARE-Ontario.ca Home Page
List of Ontario’s Issues
Disclaimer: This information has 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.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
https://awareontario.nfshost.com/AWARE-Ontario/News%20Rail.htm
APPENDIX B
CN and CP Rail have been cutting back maintenance crews multiple times over the past decades. All it takes is a short investigative walk down a section of isolated rail line to count the loose or missing spikes with missing tie clips or spike plates. When Warren Buffet bought CN Rail there were massive layoffs of Section Crews. The old system of open motorcars had crews diligently observing the condition of the rail fastening hardware. If a spike was loose, it was removed and a wooden peg put in and the spike hammered back in. If a tie split it was removed winter or summer and replaced. Now modern crews ride in High Rail Crew Cabs far above and unable to observe rail conditions.
The alternative proposal of the Energy East is a pipeline Conversion of old natural gas pipe line first built in 1957. It is NOT a New Construction Project. This = environmental genocide. It is recommended you do not put new wine in old wineskins. Trans Canada Pipelines had no intentions of doing Hydrostatic Testing of the old natural gas pipeline loops they intend on converting to pump diluted bitumen for Energy East. I worked Hydrostatic Testing for different pipeline contractors in Northern Ontario in the early 70’s. Most of the work was done in winter months as you cannot build new pipeline or repair pipeline ruptures in swamps when they are not frozen. The attached National Energy Board Report of the Beardmore Blast has pictures to look at. This explosion was close enough to town that snow was melting off rooftops.
If this line was carrying Diluted Bitumen, Beardmore would likely be Lac Megantic No. 2. Note the sloping terrain and the Blackwater River that is adjacent to the line rupture and winds around the town. (Figure 1.) I just talked to a Beardmore resident whose home is closest to the southern edge of town. He also questioned, how would they ever stop the back-flow of oil at Winch Hill just North of Station 75 at Orient Bay. A line rupture there would have oil running into Gorge Creek and pristine Lake Nipigon’s Orient Bay. Winch Hill is so steep dozers, side booms and excavators have to be winched up the hill for line construction or upgrading. A line explosion at Winch Hill would close Canada’s Highway 11 Northern Route until the fire burnt out.
Also note in the picture the rough shot rock backfilling the line at the explosion site and the concrete anchor weight holding down the pipe because of a high water table or inadvertent drainage ditch created by the pipeline trench.
Quote from NEB Report: The occurrence section had not been hydrostatically retested since its original commissioning in 1972... (39 years) During an emergency situation, the swift and effective operation of all valves within a given pipeline section is key to a safe and quick shutdown and repair of the pipeline. If one or more of these valves fail to close or seal properly, this can lead to delays in emergency response, access (page 18 )
to the occurrence site and the initiation of repairs. In this occurrence, the failure of the cross- over valve to seal fully and isolate the ruptured section of the pipeline system permitted the leaking natural gas to feed the fire at the occurrence site, delaying the start of the repair work.
Following the occurrence, TransCanada took the following actions:
5. TransCanada is preparing a new gas pipeline integrity management program document which will, in 2012, replace the Company’s Integrity Management Process for Pipelines (IMPP). In addition, documented processes are being implemented that will provide details on the management of each pipe integrity threat, including SCC. The new gas pipeline integrity management program will address all pipeline integrity threats, including incorrect operation, and will
include only TransCanada’s gas pipelines within Canada; reflect TransCanada’s new structure and processes used to manage the integrity of
gas pipelines; and include links to external documents.
Note these new protocols are for Natural gas lines only, not 40 year old natural gas pipeline converted to pump diluted bitumen.
Question to Trans Canada how do you do a Hydrostatic Test on a pipeline after it has been used to pump oil? How do you remove oil out of valleys and river crossings to run smart Pigs for electronic inspection? Is the answer, once In Service, cross your fingers? Another issue for Eastern Energy Security, if this rupture was dilbit, what would the impact be on the adjacent 2 or 3 other pipeline loops transporting Natural Gas for Industrial uses, home heating and Electrical Co-Generation in Eastern Canada? This explosion happened in the winter when a shutdown of natural gas supply would have serious consequences.
[PDF]
Pipeline Investigation Report P11H0011
www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/pipeline/2011/.../p11h0011.pdf
19 Feb 2011 ... Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture ... pipeline fire and explosion near Beardmore, Ontario. ... National Energy Board (NEB), was 6895 kPa. Figure 1.
Why corrosion might take down Energy East | National Observer
www.nationalobserver.com/.../why-corrosion-might-take-down-energy-east
4 Sep 2015 ... ... gave away, rupturing TransCanada Limited's 42-inch natural gas pipeline. ... From the mainline, the fire spread to a secondary gas line, weakening it. ... They included an explosion in near Beardmore Northern, Ontario in 2011 that ... A National Energy Board report cited corrosion as the cause of six other ...
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Energy East: When the pipeline spills... - The Council of Canadians
canadians.org/sites/default/files/publications/EE-Safety-Briefing.pdf
Report P09H0074, Transportation Safety Board of Canada. ... TransCanada's Energy East pipeline project would convert an up to 40-year-old natural gas.