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Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) plans to strengthen its monitoring efforts to help resolve key safety issues highlighted on a safety “watchlist.”
 
Released in March 2010, the watchlist cites nine key issues that pose the greatest risk to Canada's transportation system, according to the TSB. The list also includes 41 safety recommendations.

Although the rail and marine industries have posted progress during the past year on safety concerns — seven recommendations received the board's highest grade of “fully satisfactory” — there has been a lack of similar progress in the aviation industry, said TSB Chairwoman Wendy Tadros in a prepared statement.

“A year in, important commitments have been made, but Canadians need to know that all of the critical issues on the watchlist will be tackled,” she said.

The TSB — an independent agency that investigates rail, marine, pipeline and aviation accidents — plans to release a periodic “scorecard” to track safety developments and commitments by Transport Canada.

“We will report publicly on the results next spring when we update our watchlist,” said Tadros. “Those issues that have been squarely addressed will be removed, and if necessary, we'll add new issues of concern at that time.”

The federal government is trying to respond to several of the TSB’s rail safety recommendations by developing new grade crossing regulations to tighten standards on high-speed corridors and prevent new crossings from being built where train speeds exceed 80 mph, and creating new low-clearance advance warning signs at crossings in partnership with the Transportation Association of Canada, according to Transport Canada.