Transport Canada to adjust track inspections in response to safety recommendation

Transport Canada plans to incorporate data on rail surface conditions into its track inspection protocols following a safety recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) earlier this year.

Transport Canada has requested data on rail surface conditions from CN and Canadian Pacific, and both railroads have agreed to provide the information to the department on an ongoing basis.

The information will be used to supplement data that informs the department's regulatory track inspections beginning in 2018 or 2019, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

In August, the TSB recommended that Transport Canada incorporate predictive data on rail surface conditions to help improve track inspections. The recommendation was part of the board's investigation into CN's March 2015 derailment and fire near Gogama, Ontario.

Investigators determined broken track caused the derailment.

"I am confident that the adoption of the TSB recommendation will improve prevention of similar incidents from occurring in the future," said Marc Serre, a member of Parliament for the Nickel Belt district where the derailment occurred.