More CN Railway Derailments

During the past few months, it has been next to impossible to count the number of CN derailments in Canada and the United States. Following are just a few of these since September 28, 2010:

• Vernon Township, Michigan: Hydrochloric acid spill forces resident evacuations.

• Tete-Jaune, B.C.: 33 coal cars derail near Fraser River.

• Neenah Rail Yard, Wisconsin: 11 freight cars derail.

• Pritchard, Alabama: 10 cars derail.

• Scotford Rail Yard, Alberta: 14 cars derail, 3 months following 43-car derailment in same yard.

• Vibank, Saskatchewan: 2 locomotives and 1 hopper car derail.

• Williams Lake, B.C.: 2 locomotives derail.

• Northwest of Edmonton, Alberta: 2 locomotives and 18 cars derail.

• Brimson, Minnesota: 5 injured in head-on collision between 2 CN trains; 3 locomotives and many cars derail.

When interviewed, CN personnel appear to have the standard response of…..”No one was injured and there were no environmental issues. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.” The public seldom is informed about the outcome of such investigations.

Canadian and U.S. regulators have criticized CN’s safety record and have issued many warnings to CN. Regulators have cited many reasons for CN’s growing number of derailments and accidents since CN was privatized in 1995, including: improper rail welds, rotting railroad ties, unsafe rail cars, and marshalling problems. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has warned of potential disasters similar to the Lake Wabamun CN train wreck in 2005 where CN was fined $1.4 million and payed millions more in clean up costs and compensation. About 2 million litres of toxic fuel oil and pole treating oil spilled into Lake Wabamun, killing waterbirds and fish and covering lakeside cottage beaches with oil.

See previous postings below, and many news articles under our “Latest News” link for further details and examples of CN’s failing derailment and safety record, and see this link.

~ by railroaded on January 7, 2011.