The Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Rail Security Regulations (the Regulations), made pursuant to the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992, were registered on May 6, 2019. These regulations aim to mitigate the security risks of transporting dangerous goods by rail.
If you are a railway carrier or railway loader, the regulations apply to you. Learn the requirements you must follow here.
Transport Canada is providing the following guidance for the development of:
For more information, you may contact TC.Railsecurity-sureteferroviaire.TC@tc.gc.ca
On this page
- Who must follow the regulations
- Requirements under the regulations
- When the requirements come into force
- Provide your company profile
- Contact us
Who must follow the regulations
Railway carriers
“Railway carrier” means a person who has possession of dangerous goods for the purposes of either:
- transportation by railway vehicle on a main railway line, or
- storing them in the course of such transportation
For example:
- If a company is transporting a railway vehicle of Nitroglycerin solution in alcohol (UN1204) on a main railway line, or storing them in the course of transportation, they are considered a railway carrier under the Regulations.
Learn more about the requirements for railway carriers
Rail Carrier fact sheet [PDF, 162KB]
Railway loaders
“Railway loader” means:
- any person that operates a handling site, or
- any manufacturer or producer of dangerous goods that has possession of dangerous goods at a handling site for the purposes of loading them prior to, or unloading them after, transportation by rail
For example:
- If a company operates a facility that provides the services to load or unload dangerous goods to or from a railway vehicle, they are considered a railway loader under the Regulations.
- If a company is a manufacturer or producer of dangerous goods and loads those dangerous goods into rail tank cars to be transported by rail directly from the facility, they are considered a railway loader under the Regulations.
In this context, “handling site” means a facility connected to a railway line, where a railway vehicle is placed for the loading or unloading of dangerous goods.
Learn more about the requirements for railway loaders
Rail Loader fact sheet [PDF, 168KB]
Requirements under the regulations
These regulations require railway carriers and railway loaders to manage security risks by implementing specific security practices.
For railway carriers
Railway carriers are required to:
- Report potential threats and other security concerns to the Transport Canada Situation Centre
- To learn how, read our Railway Security Reporting Guidance and consult our template.
- Designate a rail security coordinator responsible for security matters
- To help meet this requirement, you may use the Rail Security Coordinator Form
- Should this information change, please send the updated contact information to Rail Security by e-mail at TC.Railsecurity-sureteferroviaire.TC@tc.gc.ca
- Do visual security inspections of railway vehicles that contain dangerous goods requiring a placard
- For a copy of the visual security inspection guidance, please contact Rail Security by e-mail at TC.Railsecurity-sureteferroviaire.TC@tc.gc.ca
- Provide security awareness training
Railway carriers who transport any of the security-sensitive dangerous goods listed in Schedule 1 must also:
- conduct a security risk assessment
- develop and implement a security plan
- provide security plan training
For railway loaders
Railway loaders are required to provide security awareness training.
Railway loaders who offer for transport, handle or transport any of the security-sensitive dangerous goods listed in Schedule 1 must also:
- conduct a security risk assessment
- develop and implement a security plan
- provide security plan training
When the requirements come into force
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Type of dangerous goods | Coming-into-force date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Reporting potential threats and other security concerns |
Railway carriers | All | June 6, 2019 | |
|
Rail security coordinator |
Railway carriers | All | August 6, 2019 | |
|
Security inspection |
Railway carriers | Only dangerous goods requiring a placard | August 6, 2019 | |
| Security plan | Railway carriers and railway loaders | Only Schedule 1 security-sensitive dangerous goods |
Carriers: February 6, 2020 |
Loaders: May 6, 2020 |
|
Security plan training |
Railway carriers and railway loaders | Only Schedule 1 security-sensitive dangerous goods |
Carriers: February 6, 2020 |
Loaders: May 6, 2020 |
|
Security awareness training |
Railway carriers and railway loaders | All |
Carriers: February 6, 2020 |
Loaders: May 6, 2020 |
The Transport Canada Situation Centre phone number is 1-888-857-4003 or 1-613-995-9737
Provide your company profile
We are gathering information about railway carriers and railway loaders to support oversight activities, and to help us do outreach and education. Please fill out the form that applies to you, and submit it to us at your earliest convenience:
Contact us
For more information, you can contact Rail Security at:
Email: TC.Railsecurity-sureteferroviaire.TC@tc.gc.ca