Question Period Note: VIA Rail Head-End Powered (HEP) Cars

On October 19, 2022, Transport Canada issued a ministerial order to VIA Rail under the railway safety act to address safety concerns with the head-end powered (HEP) fleet of cars

• The safety and security of Canada’s transportation system is paramount to Transport Canada.
• Under the Railway Safety Act, railway companies are responsible for the safety of their operations including, identifying any safety risk and ensuring measures are in place to mitigate those risks.
• An engineering analysis conducted by VIA Rail has identified structural conditions on head-end powered (HEP) passenger cars and has recommended actions to mitigate the safety risks.
• In the interest of safe rail operations, a Ministerial Order has been issued to VIA Rail which requires the company to implement the recommended mitigations measures.
• Transport Canada will conduct oversight to verify compliance with the Ministerial Order.

If pressed on the department’s oversight activities regarding the VIA Rail HEP cars:

• Transport Canada has reviewed the analysis on the state of VIA Rail’s fleet and has issued a Ministerial Order to VIA Rail to ensure the mitigation measures are fully implemented.
• Transport Canada has been conducting regular oversight activities of the mitigation measures set out in the Ministerial Order and has found VIA to be in compliance with the Ministerial Order.
• Transport Canada continues to monitor the situation closely. Should a risk to safety be identified, the department will not hesitate to take immediate action to protect the public’s safety.

If pressed on the Ministerial Order:

• As required by the Ministerial Order, on October 31, 2022, VIA Rail provided the results of engineering simulations which verified the efficacy of the measures implemented to mitigate the risk due to the structural condition of the cars.Transport Canada will continue its oversight activities to verify VIA Rail remains compliant with all the mitigation measures outlined in the Ministerial Order.

• While structural conditions were identified on VIA Rail’s head-end powered (HEP) fleet, the equipment remains safe to operate under normal conditions, specific mitigating measures are recommended by the engineering consultant to mitigate safety risks.
• The structural conditions were found as part of the Heritage Program fleet modernization overhaul. The HEP cars were built between 1946 and 1955. VIA’s Heritage Program was launched in 2018 and is set to be completed by 2025.
• The HEP cars are used in the Toronto-Vancouver, Montréal-Halifax, Montréal- Jonquière-Senneterre, Jasper-Prince Rupert, and Winnipeg-Churchill routes. Some HEP cars are also assigned to the Québec City-Windsor Corridor.
• Transport Canada’s assessment of the technical report determined the recommendations were developed using sound engineering principles and are appropriate to ensure continued safety operations and the safety of passengers and the public.
• On October 19, 2022, Transport Canada issued a Ministerial Order to VIA Rail to implement operational mitigations to reduce the potential consequences of a collision event and to conduct additional engineering simulations and testing to inform a structural reinforcement program.
• By issuing a Ministerial Order, Transport Canada sets out a clear path for VIA Rail to implement the mitigation measures and supports continued oversight and inspection activities by the department’s Rail Safety inspectors to verify compliance.
• As required by the Ministerial Order, on October 31, 2022, VIA Rail submitted the engineering simulation of predicted HEP car collision performance. The findings support the effectiveness of buffer cars, as required in the Ministerial Order as a mitigation measure. TC Rail Safety has assessed the report and is satisfied the report demonstrates that the approach to conducting the simulations and the results is consistent with sound engineering principles.

Location: National