Under section 31 of the Railway Safety Act (RSA), railway safety inspectors have the power to act when they find a safety threat or immediate threat during inspections.
A threat means a hazard or condition that could reasonably be expected to develop into a situation that could cause injuries to a person, or damage could be caused to property or the environment. An immediate threat is when the situation already exists.
Inspectors use a Notice Acknowledging Immediate Action Taken to acknowledge that a company or person removed a threat immediately after it was identified.
Below is a list of Notices Acknowledging Immediate Action Taken issued since April 1, 2020:
Displaying 1 - 25 of 38
| Date | Region | Location | Railway Company or Person | Hazard or Condition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View | 2022-01-12 |
Prairie and Northern | Alyth Yard | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | Failure to mitigate the risks associated with operating in Point Protection Zones (PPZ) and prevent reoccurrence, as well as the repetition and severity of similar incidents created a situation where a derailment and/or collision could have reoccurred and caused harm to employees, the public and damage to the environment and/or property. |
| View | 2021-11-30 |
Ontario | Ignace Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | A logging truck with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel over the crossing surface. This situation could have resulted in a collision leading to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-11-12 |
Quebec | Taschereau Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Operating trains over sections of track where rail joints were not adequately supported to ensure safe rail operation at permissible speeds at several locations. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-10-15 |
Prairie and Northern | Thompson Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | The severity and seriousness of a Track Unit occupying the main track without the proper authority created a situation in which a person could have been injured or damage could have been caused to the environment or property. |
| View | 2021-10-14 |
Quebec | Kingston Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel over the crossing surface. This could have developed into a situation where a person could have been injured in a collision. |
| View | 2021-09-27 |
Prairie and Northern | Brooks Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | Relying on the administrative Point Protection Zone (PPZ) with no crew member of the remote controlled locomotive system (RCLS) assignment in a position to observe the track to be used and not having a thorough understanding of the instructions between the movements in the PPZ, created a situation that resulted in a head-on collision. This accident resulted in a serious derailment, equipment damage, and diesel fuel leakage from the locomotive, and could have resulted in injuries to employees and/or public. |
| View | 2021-09-22 |
Ontario | Newmarket Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel over the crossing surface. This could have developed into a situation where a person could have been injured in a collision. |
| View | 2021-09-20 |
Prairie and Northern | Togo Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Due to obstructed sightlines, vehicles entering the crossing may not have been able to clear the crossing before the arrival of railway equipment, which could have led to injuries, and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-09-15 |
Quebec | Val D'Or Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel over the crossing surface. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-09-10 |
Quebec | St. Maurice Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel though the crossing surface for the train speed in effect. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-09-01 |
Ontario | Bala Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Due to a rock cut obstructing sightlines, the crossing user would not have had sufficient visual warning from the stopped position to see approaching railway equipment and safely clear the crossing. A collision could have occurred, leading to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-08-20 |
Quebec | Taschereau Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A road user with obstructed sightlines due to vegetation may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel over the crossing surface. This could have developed into a situation where a person could have been injured in a collision. |
| View | 2021-08-09 |
Ontario | Alexandria Subdivision | VIA Rail Canada Inc. | Failing to apply adequate temporary protection measures at a closed grade crossing at mile 25.18, where the crossing surface had been removed, created a situation where road users could have put themselves in a position where they may have been injured or damaged could have been caused to property and/or the environment. |
| View | 2021-07-23 |
Ontario | Windsor Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | Leaving a train standing in a manner that obstructed a public crossing at mile 110.26 created a situation where a pedestrian took a risk by crossing between stopped railcars, which could have led to injuries. |
| View | 2021-07-19 |
Ontario | Ruel Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Operating trains at the maximum permissible speeds over switch tie conditions and missing switch components could have resulted in a derailment, a collision, or injuries. |
| View | 2021-07-05 |
Quebec | Adirondack Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel though the crossing surface. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-29 |
Quebec | Adirondack Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel though the crossing surface. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-28 |
Quebec | Sherbrooke Subdivision | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | A road user with insufficient sightlines may not have been able to properly evaluate if it was safe to travel though the crossing surface. This situation could have led to a collision causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-18 |
Prairie and Northern | Rivers Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | The sightlines at miles 196.03 and 197.18 were insufficient to allow a crossing user to see approaching rail equipment and pass safely due to vegetation. Vehicles entering the crossings may not have been able to clear before the arrival of a train, which could have led to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-11 |
Ontario | Bala Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Due to restricted sightlines, crossing users would not have had sufficient visual warning from the stopped position to see approaching railway equipment and safely clear the crossing. As a result, a collision could have occurred, leading to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-10 |
Pacific | Telkwa Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | A cluster of defective track ties and fastening system that are unable to provide sufficient lateral rail restraint to prevent dynamic gauge widening could have caused a train to derail leading to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-09 |
Quebec | Joffrey Yard | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Rail cars, whose purpose are to prevent unintended movements while kicking, failed in their capacity to retain equipment. An uncontrolled movement of rail cars led to cars being left foul of another track for an extended period. Although CN expected these anchor cars to move when being kicked upon, they were not monitored to ensure they did not move foul, which could have led to an incident causing injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-06-07 |
Atlantic | Sussex Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Sightlines in the Northwest quadrant were insufficient to allow a crossing user to see approaching railway equipment from the stop position due to vegetation. As a result, a vehicle may not have been able to clear the crossing before the arrival of a train, which could have led to injuries and/or damage to property and the environment. |
| View | 2021-05-18 |
Quebec | St. Hyacinthe Subdivision | Canadian National Railway Company (CN) | Providing a Track Occupancy Permit (TOP) with unclear routes that are to be occupied left employees in possession of such TOP, or associated foreman sub-protection, to erroneously believe that they were still within the limits of their authority and protected. |
| View | 2021-05-12 |
Quebec | St-Luc Yard | Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) | Allowing cars that have been identified through inspection as having defects to continue in service without being corrected, controlled, or protected created a situation that could have led to injuries and/or damage to the environment and property. |