Gatineau Quebec - Preliminary statistics from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) show a decrease in rail accidents and incidents in 2020.
 
Numbers the agency believes were likely influenced by the impact of COVID-19 on transportation.
 
Numbers released as part of a look at all modes of transportation show there were 959 rail accidents reported in 2020, a 12 percent decrease from the five year average of 1,091 and down 24 percent from the 1,257 in 2019.
 
The 59 rail related fatalities were a decrease of 13 from the previous year, and included 39 fatalities involving trespassers.
 
The accident total included 81 involving hazardous materials, a decrease from the 2019 total of 171, and the five year average of 128.
 
Just three of those accidents involved a release of hazardous materials.
 
A final report will be released this spring.
 
Author unknown.