Question Period Note: Canadian Pacific Railway crude oil train derailment

Derailment of 31 cars with Petroleum Crude Oil Railcars – Guernsey, Saskatchewan - February 6, 2020, from the train that originated from Rosyth, Alberta (Near Hardisty, Alberta) and destined to Stroud, Oklahoma.

• Rail safety is Transport Canada's top priority, and the Government of Canada is continuously looking for ways to make our railway system even safer for Canadians.
• Transport Canada has put into place specific measures through a Ministerial Order to help prevent further derailments of trains carrying large quantities of dangerous goods.
• Transport Canada continues to review the incident and will take additional enforcement action should any instances of non-compliance with the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act or Railway Safety Act be found.
• I would note that the Transportation Safety Board is actively investigating this incident, as the lead federal organization for transportation accidents in Canada.
• A Minister's observer was deployed to the site. Transport Canada will engage with the TSB as required and will conduct follow-up inspections.

Derailment

• At approximately 07:15 ET, on February 6, 2020, a Canadian Pacific (CP) train carrying 104 loads of petroleum crude oil and two sand loads (Buffer cars), derailed on the main line, between mileage 43 and 44 of the Sutherland subdivision, in Guernsey, Saskatchewan.
• Approximately 31 railcars derailed and 27 caught fire which resulted in the evacuation of the village of Guernsey. It is undetermined at this time how many railcars were breeched.
• On February 11, 2020, the fire was completely extinguished allowing the residents to return to their homes.
• The track was reopened with speed limit restrictions, including the revised Ministerial Slow Order, being observed.
• As of February 12, 2020 all lanes of Highway 16 are open with a speed restriction of 60 km/hr in place.
• TC deployed a Remedial Measures Specialist, Rail and Transportation of Dangerous Good (TDG) Inspectors to the site.
• TC inspectors last inspected the track January 29, 2020.
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) representatives arrived on scene on February 9., 2020. Eight representatives from Transportation Safety Board (TSB), NTSB, and the railcar manufacturer worked with TC inspectors to evaluate and assess the railcars. The following unconfirmed numbers provide a rough estimate: ◦2.86 million liters petroleum crude oil was being transported by the affected railcars.
  ◦ 1.2 million liters of petroleum crude oil was lost.
  ◦ Overall 23 railcars lost content to some degree.
• Additionally, 20 empty railcars were waiting at the Plunkett siding to receive product during the clean up phase. These are newer models of the 117J100W railcars, manufactured in 2019.

Previous derailments

• This is the second derailment of a train carrying crude oil in that area and the third in the past 12 months in Canada.
• On December 9, 2019, a CP train derailed at mile 48.8 of the CP Sutherland subdivision near Guernsey, Saskatchewan. Thirty three tank cars derailed resulting in a fire.
• On February 16, 2019, a CN train derailed 37 cars carrying petroleum crude oil in a rural area near St. Lazare, Manitoba. This derailment did not result in a fire.

Speed restrictions

• The Key Train and Key Route Rules, which came into effect in February 2016, impose speed restrictions on trains carrying dangerous goods. ◦A Key Train has one or more loaded tank cars of dangerous goods that are toxic by inhalation or 20 or more loaded tank cars containing dangerous goods.
• An updated Ministerial Order 20-03 was issued on February 16, 2020 and remains in effect until April 1, 2020 noting the following speed restrictions: ◦Not operate a Key Train at a speed that exceeds 40 mph in non-signaled territory;
  ◦ Not operate a Key Train at a speed that exceeds 35 mph within Census Metropolitan Areas;
  ◦ Not operate a Higher Risk Key Train at a speed that exceeds 25 mph in non-signaled territory;
  ◦ Not operate a Higher Risk Key Train at a speed that exceeds 30 mph within Census Metropolitan Areas. For greater certainty, the operation of a Higher Risk Key Train within Census Metropolitan Areas that are in non-signaled territory remain subject to the limit of 25 mph.

Next steps

• Rail Safety will continue to review the documentation and reports of the status of the infrastructure and equipment prior to the incident to verify compliance with the Railway Safety Act.
• The TSB continues to investigate the track and tank cars.
• TC continues to gather inspection and track data from CP.
• The Remedial Measures Specialist will complete an incident report in March 2020.

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