8 September 2005
Railway Makes Safety Changes
"Significant safety action" has been taken in the wake of a train derailment in Estevan
just over a year ago, a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Wednesday.
About 150 people were evacuated from homes and businesses in Estevan on 8 Aug 2004, after a train derailment toppled
six Canadian Pacific (CP) railcars, five of which contained anhydrous ammonia. A small amount of the hazardous chemical - used in
fertilizers and household detergents - leaked out of the pressurized cars after the crash.
After more than a year of investigation, the Transportation Safety Board has concluded its look into the derailment, and has released
a report isolating the cause of the derailment and taking steps to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Board spokesperson John Cottreau said investigation into the crash found defects on the underside area of the freight car which
caused the car to move side-to-side as it rounded curves.
The derailment happened when a stretch of rail in Estevan could not withstand the sideways movement of the car.
The report also found the track had not been properly maintained along the curve and concluded that the system for inspecting rail
cars at that time was not effective.
As a result of the report, CP has replaced rail at the curve where the accident occurred with heavier rail secured with extra spikes.
The company is also planning to install new electronic inspection equipment and has developed educational posters to help maintenance
people identify railcar defects like those that led to the Estevan crash.
Residents were evacuated from a three-block radius around the 13th Avenue railway after the crash occurred, and residents
were kept out of the area for two days. No one was hurt and there was no damage outside the railbed.
The Transportation Safety Board is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation incidents in an
effort to increase transportation safety.
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