The Mississauga accident - Circa 1979 Photographer unknown.

14 November 2012

Another Rail Disaster a Matter of Time

Mississauga Ontario - 10 Nov 2012 marked the 33rd anniversary of the Mississauga train derailment. Considering the despicable and sad state of railway safety in this country, in 2011, there were 103 derailments, about two a week, on "main tracks", the lines between stations and or terminals, and 485 derailments on "non-main tracks", mainly in yards or terminals. It is only a matter of time before this country experiences a rail disaster not unlike that awful tragedy in Mississauga when a 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train derailed.
 
The regime is characterized by flawed public policy and federal government apathy, and an industry motivated solely by profit, contemptuous for the safety of their workers and the public.
 
As the result of a subsequent explosion, when one of the tank cars carrying propane exploded, resulting in a raging fire and because other tank cars were carrying chlorine, the decision was made to evacuate nearby residents in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in history, 200,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
 
That incident caused major property and environmental damage, economic losses, an unprecedented drain on emergency services (police, fire, medical), and community dislocations.
 
A Board of Inquiry was appointed, under Ontario Appeal Court Justice Samuel Grange, to investigate the derailment. The Grange Report on the Mississauga Railway Accident Inquiry was released on 19 Jan 1982.
 
Another Mississauga? The only question is where and when will this disaster happen?
 
Emile Therien - Past President Canada Safety Council.