The last two containers from a CP train derailment were removed from the Wanapitei River over the weekend - Date unknown Arron Pickard.

10 June 2013

Minister Wants Better Black Boxes
for Trains

Wanup Ontario - The last two containers from a 2 Jun 2013 Canadian Pacific train derailment were removed from the Wanapitei River over the weekend.
 
Ed Greenberg with CP media relations said the containers, which floated downstream from the derailment site to some rapids near Highway 69, were lifted to shore together by a crane at around 3:30 p.m. on 8 Jun 2013. The three other containers involved in the derailment were towed to shore by boats and barges earlier last week.
 
CP plans on rebuilding the rail bridge destroyed in the derailment starting later this week, Greenberg said. He did not know how long the project would take.
 
The drinking water advisory issued following the derailment remains in effect, according to Burgess Hawkins, the Sudbury and District Health Unit's manager of health hazard investigation, emergency preparedness, and safe water.
 
Now that the last containers have been removed from the water, the health unit is just waiting on the results of water tests before lifting the drinking water advisory, he said. Hawkins said he isn't sure when these results will be ready.
 
The derailment was caused by a catastrophic wheel bearing failure on one of the train's cars, which in turn caused several containers it was hauling to crash into the railroad bridge and subsequently to fall into the river.
 
A day before Canadian Pacific removed the last of the containers from the river, Transport Canada issued a report calling on rail companies to create a stronger culture of safety. On 7 Jun 2013, the Advisory Council on Rail Safety's Working Group on Locomotive Voice and Video Recorders released a report calling for the voluntary installation of voice/video recording devices on locomotives by railway companies.
 
It was announced by Transport Minister Denis Lebel.
 
Lebel has written to the Railway Association of Canada and individual railway companies to encourage installation of recording devices. Trains have devices installed which record data such as speed and braking, but not audio or video.
 
The minister requested a study be done looking at rail safety following a VIA train derailment in Burlington, Ontario, 26 Feb 2012, which left three dead and dozens wounded. The working group included representatives from the railways, unions, and Transport Canada.
 
VIA Rail has since committed to installing voice recorders in all its locomotives.
 
Heidi Ulrichsen.

Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada