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Lac-Mégantic, Quebec - Oil Train Derailment


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#151 CNJRoss

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Posted 19 July 2019 - 07:34 AM

The New York Times, 7/16/19

A Runaway Train Explosion Killed 47, but Deadly Cargo Still Rides the Rails

 

 

When things go wrong, those in power often promise to make it right. But do they? In this series, The Times is going back to the scene of major news events to see if those promises were kept.

 

 

The runaway train hurtled into the center of town shortly after midnight, with no one aboard to apply the brakes or sound a whistle to warn residents about the deadly cargo bearing down on them.

 

When it reached a tight curve, the freight train, going 65 miles an hour, derailed.  .  .  .

 

SNIP

 

And there have been changes — at least on paper.

 

Railways are now required to look for alternative routes to keep shipments of dangerous goods out of urban areas, but trains filled with risky cargo still rumble day and night through Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and other cities.

 

Not much has changed since that night in Lac-Mégantic, either. Six years after the catastrophe, the core of the town remains a wasteland, with much of the once-vibrant downtown a weed lot.

 

The emotional scars have been slow to heal, too.

 

“People are still afraid,” said Jamie Stearns, who owns a local landscaping business. “Personally, when I hear the whistle of the train, it comes right back — the shivers.”

 

 

More here.



#152 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 August 2019 - 10:06 AM

Railway Age, 8/13/19

Clickbait Journalism at The New York Times

 

 

 

FINANCIAL EDGE, AUGUST 2019: With a 100-plus-degree F temperature and/or heat index blanket covering half the U.S., the summer doldrums are fully upon us. The time of year lines up with the anniversary of one of the most horrible rail tragedies in recent memory—the Lac-Mégantic derailment in July 2013. The 47 deaths that occurred as a result of that accident are unrecoverable losses for families and communities. Their memory should always serve as a reminder of the importance of safety and the need for best practices throughout the railroad industry.

 

Since the 2013 disaster, the railroad industry has made great strides toward improving safety measures and railcar designs that, when followed, allow railroad operations at a high safety level. Car design strengthening (to the current DOT 117J and 117R standards), PTC and HHFT train speed guidelines all contribute to running a safer rail system. The reality is that until, a la Back to the Future III (don’t act like you’ve never seen it), there are trains that don’t need to be on the track to operate, there are going to be some sort of derailments.

 

The perception of progress on the rail safety front is not universally perceived. The New York Times published an article on July 16, 2019 (“A Runaway Train Explosion Killed 47, but Deadly Cargo Still Rides the Rails”), following up on Lac-Mégantic and the safety issues raised at the time of the accident. The main takeaways are that few changes have been made to railway safety, those changes which have been made are unproven and that the industry is not doing nearly enough to support a safer railroad.

 

Six years later, the article sadly exhumes and retreads the memories of those lost and the pain of those who suffered trauma in order to generate readership (the term d’art for that is “clickbait”). That is an editorial issue.

 

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#153 KevinKorell

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 12:52 PM

Montreal, QC Gazette, 7/7/20:


 

  Lac-Mégantic unveils monument to victims of train disaster  

 

 

 

Seven years after a rail disaster decimated its downtown, Lac-Mégantic sought Monday to honour both its past and future by inaugurating a long-planned memorial space at the site at the heart of the tragedy.

 

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#154 CNJRoss

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Posted 07 July 2021 - 04:19 PM

Progressive Railroading, 7/7/21

 

 
Trudeau honors eighth anniversary of Lac-Megantic rail disaster

 

 

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday issued a statement to mark the eighth anniversary of the Lac-Megantic rail tragedy and highlight the need for completion of the rail bypass project.

 

SNIP

 

"On this solemn anniversary, we honor the memory of the victims of this railway disaster — the deadliest in our country’s modern history," Trudeau said. "My thoughts, and the thoughts of all Canadians, are with the residents of Lac-Megantic as we remember this event that shook the entire country."

 

To ensure that such a tragedy never happens again, the Canadian government is working with the government of Quebec and regional municipalities to complete the Lac-Megantic rail bypass project, he said.

 

More here.

 

Related: 

Lac-Megantic rail bypass will avoid downtown

#155 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 December 2022 - 01:24 AM

Toronto, ON Star, 12/15/22:

 


 

   Quebec court says Canadian Pacific Railway not liable in Lac-Mégantic train crash  

 

 

A Quebec Superior Court judge has found that Canadian Pacific Railway was not liable in the 2013 railway disaster that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Que.

 

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#156 CNJRoss

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Posted 24 July 2023 - 08:57 AM

FreightWaves, 7/6/23

 

Canadian safety head marks anniversary of Lac-Mégantic derailment

 

TSB chair says industry must take further steps to prevent uncontrolled movements of rail equipment

 

 

Much work is still needed to bolster rail safety and prevent another tragic accident like the one that happened in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, 10 years ago, the head of the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said on Thursday.

 

“Despite significant safety action taken by [Transport Canada] and the railway industry to reduce the number of unplanned and uncontrolled movements of rail equipment, such events continue to occur, posing a significant risk to people, property, and the environment,” said TSB Chair Kathy Fox in a statement.

 

On July 6, 2013, a runaway Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway cargo train reached a speed of 65 mph before derailing in the center of the town of Lac-Mégantic at around 1:15 a.m. ET. Sixty-three tank cars derailed, spilling nearly 1.6 gallons of crude oil and causing an explosion in the center of town that led to the deaths of 47 people.

 

“As we think of the people of Lac-Mégantic, I want to emphasize that the TSB remains firmly committed to advocating for changes that will advance rail transportation safety, so that no other Canadian community will ever have to face such a catastrophic event,” Fox said.

 

 

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