Evidence of meeting #143 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rail.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chair, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
That is why we recommended putting automatic parking brakes on trains. I believe Transport Canada is looking at that recommendation. That would be an additional safety guard.
We could also consider installing wheel temperature detectors. These devices could detect, for example, that a bearing on a wheel is overheating. Such detectors are installed beside the tracks. They could warn operators about a possible railcar issue and thus avoid a derailment.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
As far as I can understand, you would like to implement an electronic control system so that operators can apply the hydraulic brakes on all the cars at once. Did I understand correctly? Is that the aim of your recommendation?
Director, Investigations, Rail/Pipeline, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
Thank you for the question.
Currently, it is possible to use handbrakes and air brakes. We have proposed an automatic parking brake system, which is still manual, but it avoids problems with air brakes. It is a mechanical device as opposed to just having an air system.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Let us go back. If I understand correctly, in the case of the accident that occurred in Lac-Mégantic, the brakes that had been applied loosened or were released, and I believe that was due to the engine. Something happened that caused the brakes to be released, and the train to start moving because the handbrakes had not been applied, and they are hydraulic brakes, if I understand properly.
Director, Investigations, Rail/Pipeline, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
They are air brakes, actually. A number of handbrakes were used with the brakes on the locomotive. When the engine of the locomotive was turned off, those brakes were lost. There were not enough brakes on the other cars, which caused the uncontrolled movement.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Okay. When you turn off the engine of the locomotive, the air brakes release. Is that correct? Is that the case for all trains?
Director, Investigations, Rail/Pipeline, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
No, they are separate. You can block or keep the air in the air brakes. The brakes on the locomotive are a feature on top of that. However, we have to make sure we have enough manual brakes on the trains.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
To come back more specifically to uncontrolled movements, do you see an upward or downward trend in those movements recently?
Chair, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
I do not know if I have examples here—
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
If I understand correctly, those are generally the incidents that cause the most damage.
Chair, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
We actually have two recommendations on our watch list.
First, we need to make sure that crew members follow rail signals, otherwise trains can collide.
Second, we need to watch for uncontrolled movements, which can lead to catastrophic derailments, as we saw in the Lac-Mégantic accident.
I would say that those are two important risks, from our perspective.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Okay.
Do you have any figures showing the trend in uncontrolled movements?
Director, Investigations, Rail/Pipeline, Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board
Yes. In 2019, there were 17. Last year, there were 33. This year, I think it will be comparable to last year.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Mr. Barsalou-Duval.
Next, we have Mr. Bachrach.
Mr. Bachrach, you have six minutes, sir.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I was a little surprised by the responses regarding the key routes risk assessment. As I understand it, these are risk assessments the government requires rail companies to do. They submit the risk assessments to the regulator—Transport Canada—but Transport Canada does not approve them and there is no definition of what an adequate risk assessment looks like.
Are these risk assessments also confidential, Mr. Scott? Are they proprietary?
Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport
There might be proprietary elements in them.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Are they available to community members who want to better understand the risk?
Director General, Rail Safety, Department of Transport
In fact, under the regulation, railways have to consult municipalities when they're pulling the risk assessments together.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Are municipalities provided with the final risk assessments?
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you very much.
I'll move on to emergency response assistance plans. Now, these are plans required from the shippers of dangerous products. They are approved by Transport Canada. Is that correct?