More troubles for CN Rail, as Opinion 250 reported Monday that four rail cars bound for Prince Rupert with full loads of grain went off the rails in the downtown Prince George yard.
Described as a minor mishap, the incident took place in the early afternoon on Monday, no delays to further shipments to Ridley Island were anticipated, save for the four cars relieved of their loads.
In the meantime, questions are being asked about why there seems to be an increase in the frequency of these incidents..
Perhaps it has to do with the training films?
Four Grain Cars Off The Tracks In Prince George
By 250 News
Monday, September 24, 2007 04:33 PM
Four grain cars left the CN tracks today in what is being described as a minor mishap by CN officials.
The four cars contained grain heading for the Port of Prince Rupert.
Two of the cars spilled product when they fell on their sides during the mishap , which happened behind the Bottle Depot on 1st.
No one was injured and train traffic in and out of the city was not delayed. The mishap took place just after 2.30 this afternoon.
Showing posts with label CN Rail derailments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CN Rail derailments. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
CN derailment on the Skeena east of Terrace
Canadian National has another derailment to deal with in British Columbia, this one a little closer to home as 29 rail cars, filled with grain are off the tracks near the Skeena River, 30 kilometers east of Terrace.
The derailement took place in the early hours of Monday morning, as the grain cars left the rails at around 2:30. The train was westbound for Ridley Island, CN dispatched work crews to the scene of the derailment, but it's not expected that the rail line will re-open until tomorrow.
Opinion 250 had details on the derailment posted to their website today.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
CN mends its fences in Prince George
CN Rail has come up with a new way of doing things in the Prince George region and because of that Transport Canada has lifted the Derailment Orders stemming from the incident in the city earlier this month.
The Opinion 250 website has two stories posted on the trials and tribulations of the rail industry in the Central Interior, inluding the word from Transport Canada that CN is in compliance and can get on with its business again.
"We have reviewed CN’s new operational procedures, and we are satisfied the issues have been addressed so the orders have been rescinded."
That development was followed by CN providing the province with its clean up plan for the derailment site, a project that the provincial government had ordered to be provided with by Friday.
CN is set to begin the clean up of the derailment site on Monday, it's unknown how long the clean up and remediation work will take.
Next up for the rail road will be a bit of community relations with the City and people of Prince George, who are still waiting for details as to what happened in their hometown at the start of the month and how the lines of communicaition and safety can be improved in the future.
P.G. Derailment Orders Lifted
By 250 News
Thursday, August 23, 2007 03:58 AM
Transport Canada has rescinded the 5 orders issued to CN following the collision and derailment in Prince George on August 4th.
Transport Canada spokesperson Rod Nelson says the railway has implemented new operating procedures and CN can once again resume moving longer trains and reinstate the “point of protection zone”.
“We have reviewed CN’s new operational procedures, and we are satisfied the issues have been addressed so the orders have been rescinded.”
The five orders issued were as follows:
1. Train movement will not be protected by the “point protection” zone, and any existing instructions related to the “point protection” zone ( P.P.Zone) are null and void. (The inspectors believe this zone, which was to control train traffic, gave operators a false sense of security that there was only one train in the zone at any given time.)
2. An employee must physically be on a leading end of equipment to view the track at all times to avoid possible conflicts when switching. (Opinion250 has been told the trains were being operated by "remote control")
3. The maximum cars to be handled is 30 loads, or 40 cars, but if 40, at least 10 have to be empty. (CN has confirmed there were3 locomotives and 53 cars on the northbound train, while the southbound train had two locomotives and 67 cars)
4. There has to be a sufficient number of cars with operating air brakes to control movement
5. All data related to the braking performance, inspection, repairs and yard engines assigned to switching duties, must be retained for 30 days.
CN spokesperson Kelly Svendsen confirms the orders have been rescinded, but will not release the details of the new operational procedures.
Transport Canada cannot release the details of the operational procedure changes, saying only that the railway has outlined a new training program, and a system that will ensure there is “adequate” braking power. Opinion 250 has been advised that if it wants the full details, a request for “Access to Information” will have to be filed.
Meantime, the Ministry of the Environment is still waiting for the delivery of CN’s site clean up plan. The railway has until Friday to submit the plan outlining how it will prevent diesel and gasoline contaminated soil from entering the Fraser river.
CN Delivers Clean Up Plan
By 250 News
Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:59 AM
CN has deleivered its environmental clean up plan to the Ministry of the Environment and is expected to start work on that plan at the crash and derailment site in Prince George, Monday.
(photo at right shows burning material on the bank and in the Fraser River, shortly after the crash and derailment August 4th in Prince George, photo submitted by Opinion250 reader)
Sean Sharpe, Ministry of Environment Regional Manager Omineca – Peace Region says the railway delivered its clean up plan late yesterday, two days within the time limit set out in an order issued last Friday. “The plan addresses all the concerns we had pointed out” says Sharpe.
Morrow Environmental will be carrying out the work for CN.
Sharpe says the immediate work will involve the excavation and removal of soils from the crash site on the east side of the Fraser River, then holes will be drilled to see how deep the contamination from diesel and gasoline seeped . There will be continual monitoring and boom inspection to keep pollutants from making it to the river.
Sharpe says while CN had indicated it intended to do this work, the orders were delivered to speed up the process “We don’t know if the contaminants have made it into the ground water, so I wanted a tighter time table to reduce the potential of that happening. We also don’t know if the contaminants have migrated past the site, so test holes will be drilled to see how deep and how wide it went.”
Sharpe says the plan also includes clauses that assure information will be delivered in a timely fashion. “I expect that will mean if there are changes in containment, problems with the boom, or information indicating the contamination has spread, I would get that information immediately.” Sharpe says there will be a lot of material sent to laboratories and that will create a flurry of analysis. “I do expect to receive those reports within a reasonable time.”
How long will it take to complete the clean up work? Sharpe says that won’t be known until all the tests have been completed to identify the width and depth of the spill of diesel and gasoline.
It is getting too late in the season for CN to carry out the replanting part of the repairs to the bank as would be required by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Sharpe says it is likely CN will only be able to stabilize the bank this fall to prevent further erosion. The replanting program to restore the riparian habitat won’t likely happen until next spring.
The Opinion 250 website has two stories posted on the trials and tribulations of the rail industry in the Central Interior, inluding the word from Transport Canada that CN is in compliance and can get on with its business again.
"We have reviewed CN’s new operational procedures, and we are satisfied the issues have been addressed so the orders have been rescinded."
That development was followed by CN providing the province with its clean up plan for the derailment site, a project that the provincial government had ordered to be provided with by Friday.
CN is set to begin the clean up of the derailment site on Monday, it's unknown how long the clean up and remediation work will take.
Next up for the rail road will be a bit of community relations with the City and people of Prince George, who are still waiting for details as to what happened in their hometown at the start of the month and how the lines of communicaition and safety can be improved in the future.
P.G. Derailment Orders Lifted
By 250 News
Thursday, August 23, 2007 03:58 AM
Transport Canada has rescinded the 5 orders issued to CN following the collision and derailment in Prince George on August 4th.
Transport Canada spokesperson Rod Nelson says the railway has implemented new operating procedures and CN can once again resume moving longer trains and reinstate the “point of protection zone”.
“We have reviewed CN’s new operational procedures, and we are satisfied the issues have been addressed so the orders have been rescinded.”
The five orders issued were as follows:
1. Train movement will not be protected by the “point protection” zone, and any existing instructions related to the “point protection” zone ( P.P.Zone) are null and void. (The inspectors believe this zone, which was to control train traffic, gave operators a false sense of security that there was only one train in the zone at any given time.)
2. An employee must physically be on a leading end of equipment to view the track at all times to avoid possible conflicts when switching. (Opinion250 has been told the trains were being operated by "remote control")
3. The maximum cars to be handled is 30 loads, or 40 cars, but if 40, at least 10 have to be empty. (CN has confirmed there were3 locomotives and 53 cars on the northbound train, while the southbound train had two locomotives and 67 cars)
4. There has to be a sufficient number of cars with operating air brakes to control movement
5. All data related to the braking performance, inspection, repairs and yard engines assigned to switching duties, must be retained for 30 days.
CN spokesperson Kelly Svendsen confirms the orders have been rescinded, but will not release the details of the new operational procedures.
Transport Canada cannot release the details of the operational procedure changes, saying only that the railway has outlined a new training program, and a system that will ensure there is “adequate” braking power. Opinion 250 has been advised that if it wants the full details, a request for “Access to Information” will have to be filed.
Meantime, the Ministry of the Environment is still waiting for the delivery of CN’s site clean up plan. The railway has until Friday to submit the plan outlining how it will prevent diesel and gasoline contaminated soil from entering the Fraser river.
CN Delivers Clean Up Plan
By 250 News
Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:59 AM
CN has deleivered its environmental clean up plan to the Ministry of the Environment and is expected to start work on that plan at the crash and derailment site in Prince George, Monday.
(photo at right shows burning material on the bank and in the Fraser River, shortly after the crash and derailment August 4th in Prince George, photo submitted by Opinion250 reader)
Sean Sharpe, Ministry of Environment Regional Manager Omineca – Peace Region says the railway delivered its clean up plan late yesterday, two days within the time limit set out in an order issued last Friday. “The plan addresses all the concerns we had pointed out” says Sharpe.
Morrow Environmental will be carrying out the work for CN.
Sharpe says the immediate work will involve the excavation and removal of soils from the crash site on the east side of the Fraser River, then holes will be drilled to see how deep the contamination from diesel and gasoline seeped . There will be continual monitoring and boom inspection to keep pollutants from making it to the river.
Sharpe says while CN had indicated it intended to do this work, the orders were delivered to speed up the process “We don’t know if the contaminants have made it into the ground water, so I wanted a tighter time table to reduce the potential of that happening. We also don’t know if the contaminants have migrated past the site, so test holes will be drilled to see how deep and how wide it went.”
Sharpe says the plan also includes clauses that assure information will be delivered in a timely fashion. “I expect that will mean if there are changes in containment, problems with the boom, or information indicating the contamination has spread, I would get that information immediately.” Sharpe says there will be a lot of material sent to laboratories and that will create a flurry of analysis. “I do expect to receive those reports within a reasonable time.”
How long will it take to complete the clean up work? Sharpe says that won’t be known until all the tests have been completed to identify the width and depth of the spill of diesel and gasoline.
It is getting too late in the season for CN to carry out the replanting part of the repairs to the bank as would be required by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Sharpe says it is likely CN will only be able to stabilize the bank this fall to prevent further erosion. The replanting program to restore the riparian habitat won’t likely happen until next spring.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
More troubles on the rails for CN
For the second time in a month CN has a derailment to deal with in the Central Interior, the Opinion 250 website is reporting that 10 empty rail cars have derailed in the CN yard in Quesnel.
The derailment is blocking a public crossing, though fortunately no environmental impact has been reported from this latest mishap.
CN is also under the gun from the provincial government which is demanding that CN provide them with a clean up plan from the derailment in Prince George at the start of the month. CN has been issued a deadline of Friday to have their plans developed and provided to the government.
The derailment is blocking a public crossing, though fortunately no environmental impact has been reported from this latest mishap.
CN is also under the gun from the provincial government which is demanding that CN provide them with a clean up plan from the derailment in Prince George at the start of the month. CN has been issued a deadline of Friday to have their plans developed and provided to the government.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Province serves CN Rail with Pollution prevention orders
While Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon may think that matters concerning CN Rail are a federal thing, his compatriots in the Ministry of Environment apparently see things a little differently.
The Ministry has issued pollution prevention orders on CN in response to the August 4th derailment in Prince George.
Opinion 250 had the details posted on their website on Saturday.
CN Served with Pollution Prevention Order Following August 4th Crash and Derailment
Opinion 250
Saturday, August 18, 2007
CN Rail has been served a set of orders from the Provincial Ministry of the environment in the wake of the August 4th train crash and derailment in Prince George.
CN has been served with a Pollution Prevention Order and is related to environmental impacts resulting from the crash.
The order requires CN Rail to:
Immediately inspect the site and take action necessary to contain and collect hydrocarbons that are now believed to be entering the Fraser River and to record those observations for review by the ministry's Environmental Protection Division.
Monitor the site daily to ensure containment and collection systems are functioning as designed and record those observations for the review of the Environmental Protection Division.
Retain a qualified professional to assess the extent of contamination at the site and develop a clean-up plan that will prevent further release of contaminants into the Fraser River.
The clean-up plan shall include a schedule for clean-up activities and monitoring for the approval of the director, Environmental Protection Division. The plan shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment by Aug. 24, 2007.
Provide the results of any sampling or investigations within 24 hours of receipt of results.
The order also states that failure to comply with the requirements of this order is a contravention of the Environmental Management Act and may result in legal action.
On Saturday, Aug. 4, two CN trains collided near the train yards in Prince George, resulting in the derailment of one engine and three railcars, which caught fire and leaked burning diesel and gasoline down the river bank on the Fraser River.
Ministry of Environment staff, Environment Canada and the Transportation Safety Board all attended the original incident. All three agencies continue to investigate the incident.
The Ministry has issued pollution prevention orders on CN in response to the August 4th derailment in Prince George.
Opinion 250 had the details posted on their website on Saturday.
CN Served with Pollution Prevention Order Following August 4th Crash and Derailment
Opinion 250
Saturday, August 18, 2007
CN Rail has been served a set of orders from the Provincial Ministry of the environment in the wake of the August 4th train crash and derailment in Prince George.
CN has been served with a Pollution Prevention Order and is related to environmental impacts resulting from the crash.
The order requires CN Rail to:
Immediately inspect the site and take action necessary to contain and collect hydrocarbons that are now believed to be entering the Fraser River and to record those observations for review by the ministry's Environmental Protection Division.
Monitor the site daily to ensure containment and collection systems are functioning as designed and record those observations for the review of the Environmental Protection Division.
Retain a qualified professional to assess the extent of contamination at the site and develop a clean-up plan that will prevent further release of contaminants into the Fraser River.
The clean-up plan shall include a schedule for clean-up activities and monitoring for the approval of the director, Environmental Protection Division. The plan shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment by Aug. 24, 2007.
Provide the results of any sampling or investigations within 24 hours of receipt of results.
The order also states that failure to comply with the requirements of this order is a contravention of the Environmental Management Act and may result in legal action.
On Saturday, Aug. 4, two CN trains collided near the train yards in Prince George, resulting in the derailment of one engine and three railcars, which caught fire and leaked burning diesel and gasoline down the river bank on the Fraser River.
Ministry of Environment staff, Environment Canada and the Transportation Safety Board all attended the original incident. All three agencies continue to investigate the incident.
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