So the question is whether we are prepared to allow the speed to stay at 40 miles an hour until we get the findings from the TSB report. That's certainly something we can take under advisement.
First and foremost, we feel strongly that speed had nothing to do with that derailment. We understand the sensitivities of the public. We understand the sensitivities of the citizens of Montmagny. Mr. Vena was not here at the last derailment at Montmagny. I was here. I personally went to where we had the derailment, east of the bridge. We had an issue with a truck component in a car that derailed before the bridge, and then the train dragged the car out onto the bridge. So I was there at that derailment.
This derailment occurred in January. I too got on a plane, and I was there and met with the mayor. I was part of the fact finding and got to the cause of that derailment.
So we feel strongly that speed was not an issue. The facts indicate, when you look at the report, and I have a copy of a report that has been developed by an independent research firm and submitted to Transport Canada as well as TDG--Transys Research. The science says—and this can get technical—that speed has nothing to do with the lateral forces of train derailments. Speed has something to do with longitudinal forces as far as how far they travel when they do derail, but side to side, typically, is not an issue. That being said, we will take it under advisement, and we will strongly consider keeping the speed at 40 miles an hour.
We have been very cautious. We have gone in and eliminated every potential issue. When I went to the first derailment, and when I went back the second time, I myself, being concerned, just as the citizens are concerned, asked what I could have done to prevent this derailment. The answer was that because of the cause, there was nothing I could do. However, the thing I learned and took away from that was that the cause was a defect in the switch we derailed on in January. Behind the bolt hole there was a crack in the steel that ultrasonic testing could not detect, that the visual eye could not detect, unless we were to take the entire track infrastructure apart to inspect it. That was the cause.
So if I ask myself if three years ago I missed an opportunity to prevent this derailment, the thing I walk away with is this: Did we need the track there, did we need the switch there, in the first place? The answer is no. We had a switch in Montmagny that was put there some years ago for a business reason. It was a team track where you typically transfer goods to a particular customer. But the reality is that we do not use that team track anymore, other than for our own equipment, sometimes. So we took the switch out of service. We took it out completely. The switch is gone. So we have mitigated the likelihood that it's going to happen again.
We've kept the speed. At this point, we will take it under advisement, and we'll get back to you quickly about whether we're willing to.... I can tell you now that my gut reaction is that we will keep that speed. It all depends, though. I don't know how long TSB is going to take to come back with its findings. I don't know if it's going to be a year or if it's going to be two years. But we will take that request under advisement.