A train crossing sign flashes as a car crosses the train tracks after a train crossing on St. Ambroise street near the corner of St. Augustine street close to homes in the neighbourhood of Saint-Henri in Montreal - 19 Aug 2013 Dario Ayala.

28 August 2013

City to Ask Ottawa for More Details
on Rail Shipments

Montreal Quebec - If city council has its way, railroad operators will have to disclose to Montreal what hazardous materials pass through the city.
 
Council adopted a motion Tuesday asking the federal government to compel railroad companies to share detailed information about the shipment of dangerous goods on Montreal's train tracks.
 
That followed another motion about hazardous materials adopted late Monday, in which the city protested against the planned transport of 23,000 litres of highly toxic radioactive waste from Chalk River, Ontario, to a site in South Carolina, 2,000 kilometres south by transport truck.
 
Because railroads are under federal jurisdiction, Transport Canada has an electronic database of all the country's train manifests, which include information about what's on board, where it's headed, and when it's expected to arrive at its destination.
 
"Right now the city has no legal leverage that would force a railroad company to divulge such information," said Louise Harel, who introduced the railroad motion.
 
Harel spoke of the horrific freight train derailment that killed 47 people in Lake Megantic last month to illustrate the potential dangers of rail shipping.
 
Under federal guidelines, it's entirely up to rail operators whether to tell municipalities what's on board the trains that pass along their tracks every day.
 
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National share some information about hazardous loads with communities along their rail lines, but that information only comes if the city signs a confidentiality agreement and rarely includes details about specific shipments.
 
The shipment of hazardous materials by rail is of particular concern in Montreal, where freight trains carry thousands of litres of crude oil into the city's east end every day.
 
Also, the CP yards in Cote-St-Luc are the largest rail yards in Eastern Canada.
 
"The federal government needs to get its act together because the railroad regulations we have are totally inadequate," said Marcel Cote, a candidate for mayor of Montreal.
 
"We need to know what's on those trains and we need safety protocols in place that are made public. And Montreal should have a say in these protocols. It's one thing to get on our soapbox and make some noise but we actually have to put some pressure on Ottawa."
 
The railroad safety motion was adopted unanimously by council Tuesday afternoon.
 
Author unknown.
 
Editor's Note:  Article abridged - data regarding nuclear waste transport by truck removed as not relevant to this web site's contents.

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