Canada - More Canadians were killed in rail accidents than in air accidents last year, according to a report from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB).
 
Blacklock's Reporter says investigators attributed the majority of rail fatalities to trespassers.
 
The TSB's Annual Report to Parliament recorded 67 rail fatalities in the past year.
 
"Among those fatalities, 53 involved trespassers," the report stated.
 
An additional 13 deaths occurred at level crossings.
 
In contrast, 33 people died in air accidents during the same period.
 
"The majority of those, 20 of the 33 fatalities, were linked to privately registered aircraft and involved recreational operators," the Board noted.
 
"The accident rate is among the lowest recorded."
 
These figures come after a 2018 review of the Railway Safety Act, which documented 1,252 deaths and serious injuries on rail lines over a decade, primarily involving people walking along the tracks.
 
"The numbers speak for themselves," said a review panel report titled Enhancing Rail Safety In Canada.
 
"The review sees these statistics as a serious concern."
 
Federal consultants have suggested that Parliament ban new housing developments within 300 meters of rail lines to deter trespassing.
 
"The major change proposed to the Act involves the issue of close proximity of residential and commercial land developments to rail operations," the panel wrote.
 
"This is a significant area of shared responsibility between the federal government, other levels of government, and railway companies."
 
The panel did not estimate the number of new subdivisions built within 300 meters of existing tracks since a 2007 statutory review of the Railway Safety Act.
 
However, the Railway Association of Canada reported that some 60 municipalities nationwide have adopted zoning restrictions on close-to-rail development.
 
"Trespassing on railway property is a major public safety issue that is getting worse. It occurs in both rural and urban parts of the country through which rail lines pass. In particular, residential areas, schools, or shopping centers near railway properties are places where people are often tempted to illegally use railway tracks as shortcuts or corridors for taking walks," stated Rail Safety.
 
Author unknown.