Location: National
Issue/Source: 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
Date: November 29, 2022
Suggested Responses
- 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 risks and appropriate mitigation measures.
- An engineering analysis conducted by VIA Rail assessed structural conditions on head-end powered passenger cars and recommended actions to mitigate identified risks.
- In the interest of safe rail operations, a Ministerial Order has been issued to VIA Rail which requires the company to implement recommended mitigations measures.
- Transport Canada is conducting 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 been conducting regular oversight activities of the mitigation measures set out in the Ministerial Order and has found VIA Rail to be compliant.
- Transport Canada continues to monitor the situation closely and will take immediate action to address potential risks to protect the public’s safety.
If pressed on the Ministerial Order:
- On October 31, 2022, as required by the Ministerial Order, VIA Rail provided the results of engineering simulations which verified the efficacy of the implemented mitigation measures.
- Transport Canada will continue its oversight activities to verify VIA Rail remains compliant with all the mitigation measures outlined in the Ministerial Order.
Background Information
- 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.
- 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.
- On October 31, 2022, as required by the Ministerial Order, VIA Rail submitted the engineering simulation report of predicted HEP car collision performance. The report findings support the use of buffer cars as an effective mitigation measure. Transport Canada has assessed the report and is satisfied the findings of the engineering simulation and the engineering approach used to conduct the simulation.
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The next deliverable under the Ministerial Order is a requirement for VIA Rail to provide to Transport Canada, by January 31, 2023, the results of its load compression tests and mechanical tear down of HEP cars.