Tracking the troubles on the tracks

The rails of the nation’s transportation grid are being put under the spotlight these days, as reports of major derailments along the nation’s railroads increase, sometimes in a rather spectacular fashion.

The increasing frequency of railway troubles has led for Nathan Cullen, the MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley to call for more federal government involvement into the regulations along the nation’s railroads.

Suggesting that the government is playing Russian roulette along the rails, Cullen wants to see more regulations on the transportation network and more accountability from the railroads.

The Daily News provided the list and details on some of the more controversial of derailments as well as Cullen’s thoughts on the simmering issue in their Thursday paper.

It’s an issue that will gain more importance to many communities along the Northwest corridor, as the northern route gaining increased usage as the container port comes on line next year and grain shipments increase through the Port of Prince Rupert. Providing many more trains and loads traveling through the various towns along the way.

MP SAYS FEDS NEED TO GET CN ON TRACK IN NORTH
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Page One

The federal government needs to take a greater role in regulating the county’s railroads, says Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.

“The feds have tried to ignore this issue and let the problem be handled by someone else,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the province and (Transportation) Minister (Kevin) Falcon are also trying to ignore the issue.

“Who’s left holding the bag? It’s the local communities and local emergency services.”

The MP was reacting to the latest news of a CN derailment, this time in Terrace on Oct. 2. Seven CN Rail cars carrying methanol and scrap metal derailed while the train was backing up at a slow speed, however nothing was spilled. A day later, a section of the northern B.C. main line was shut down for 24 hours west of McBride after a number of empty cars jumped the tracks. It was the fifth minor derailment in Northern B. C. this year.

“I’m totally dismayed with the way the federal government has turned its head away from this issue,” said Cullen. “They are the regulators of this body – CN does not have a right but a privilege to operate on our rail system.

“(CN has) been running an extremely worrisome record over the last two or three years.”

Even the last six months have been difficult for the company by all accounts. On Sept. 25, 25 cars carrying lumber and mineral products derailed north of Regina, Saskatchewan. In mid-August, eight cars carrying iron ore and one carrying a Hydro-Quebec transformer derailed in Longeuil, Quebec, closing a local highway for the day. At the end of July, a coal train derailed near Lytton, B C. with 12 of the cars plummeting into the Thompson River. A second derailment occurred a few days later in Lytton, when nine grain cars left the track. Near the same time, the Cheakamus River was named the most endangered river in the province, due to the spill of 40,000 tonnes of caustic soda from a train a year earlier. The company agreed to pay $1.25 million to clean up the spill, however studies estimate it will take 50 years for species in the waterway to recover.

On July 14, 65,000 commuters were stranded in the Greater Toronto Area when seven CN freight cars derailed. On June 29, two CN rail workers were killed when a train came off the tracks and plunged down a steep incline north of Lilloet. On June 5, thousands of litres of gasoline and diesel fuel were spilled into the Riviere du Loup 250 kilometres north of Quebec City. An oily sheen was visible on the water as far as 10 to 154 kilometres from the spill site.

Finally in May, CN offered Alberta property owners a $7.5 million settlement to the residents to Lake Wabamun who had 700,000 litres of oil spilled near their homes a year earlier.

“One doesn’t like to predict doom but there’s a storm brewing on this” said Cullen. “If the wrong train goes off the track in the wrong place, we could end up wiping out a fishery and I can’t understand why that would be worth it.

“They’re completely playing Russian roulette right now and we’re the ones with the gun pointed at us.”