Railcar full of asphalt runs free

Immediate parallels were drawn with the 2013 disaster in Quebec when an unmanned train hauling 72-tanker cars of Bakken crude hurtled into the town of Lac-Megantic, triggering explosions and fires that claimed the lives of 47 people.

Only this time no one was hurt, although concerns were expressed that it took two days for the event to become public.

A railcar full of asphalt/bitumen covered about 2.6 miles in 15 minutes, crossing seven streets in the process, before coming to a stop in Regina, a city of 200,000 that is the capital of Saskatchewan.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is now looking into the incident that started at midnight when, for unexplained reasons, the car rolled away from the Co-op Refinery in Regina.

Jerry Berriault, a senior investigator with the board, said three of the seven crossing were equipped with gates and warning devices, all of which functioned.

No formal investigation

In addition, Berriault said that notifying the public in such a case is not required.

Cando Rail Services, a subcontractor of the refinery, was the operator, but Canadian National Railway, whose tracks were involved, has stopped Cando crews from running trains on its network across Canada until the investigation is completed. In addition, the Co-op Refinery has suspended its contract with Cando.

Cando’s Vice President of Railway Operations Lee Jebb said his company will now require that both air and hand brakes be applied to cars on unprotected tracks where they can get away, regardless of whether workers are nearby or not. The new hand brake procedures mirror some of the responses to the Lac-Megantic tragedy.

“We’ve elected to go above and beyond, as an operating practice, the requirements,” Jebb said.

Regina’s Mayor Michael Fougere and Fire Chief Ernie Polsom only learned about the incident through the news media, with Polsom insisting that the “gap in the notification process” must be part of the investigation.

- GARY PARK