Rosser Manitoba - Severe wind gusts toppled 13 train cars in a derailment northwest of Winnipeg earlier this year, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has concluded.
 
TSB investigation report R18W0133 found many of the derailed cars, loaded with empty double-stack containers, were susceptible to high winds.
 
The train cars were blown over during a thunderstorm just after 18:00 on 29 May 2018, on the Canadian Pacific Railway line near Rosser.
 
Wind gusts of up to 90 kph were reported in the area.
 
The train was travelling at a reduced speed when the cars toppled, which automatically initiated the emergency brakes.
 
Thirteen cars fell and nearly 600 metres (1,900 feet) of track was damaged or destroyed.
 
There were no injuries and there was no evacuation, the report said.
 
Wind Warning Not Required
 
The crew on board was not notified of the severe wind gusts because the speeds recorded nearby were below the level that mandates a warning, according to the TSB.
 
"Therefore, the crew members did not receive advance warning of the possibility of encountering severe weather," the report said.
 
The investigation acknowledged some trains are at risk of high wind events, even if the recorded gusts do not warrant the standard protocols, as was the case in this derailment.
 
CP has since implemented a new loading configuration for moving large numbers of empty containers to help lessen the impact of high wind events, the report said.
 
Author unknown.