Legalectric

This a.m. – yet another derailment and explosion in Ontario

March 7th, 2015

Reuters File Photo

As if last month’s Bakken BOOM! derailment wasn’t enough, well, as of around 3 a.m. there was ANOTHER one in Ontario, this one just 37 km from the one a few weeks ago. Hwy 144 and Hwy 101 are closed. Local residents are told not to drink water.

From CP24, Toronto: Fire burning after train carrying crude oil derails in northern Ontario

“We have two exits in Gogama to get in and out of town and the bridge apparently is burned down,” Veronneau said. “So now we have one other exit, which is relatively close to where all of this is going on.”

… “My inn is about 200 feet from the train tracks and it’s a major concern for the people in town … If it had happened in the middle of town we wouldn’t be having a conversation right now because we would have gotten taken out. It would have been horrible being this close and the track runs right through the middle of Gogama.”

Reuters: UPDATE 4-Canadian Nat’l crude train derails in Ontario, on fire, leaking

From The Star:

CN train with crude oil derails, catches fire in northern Ontario

And from that article, reporting findings from the Ontario wreck and explosion a couple weeks ago stating that upgrading the rail cars is not enough:

The investigation into the first Gogama derailment is ongoing. In its Feb. 23 progress update, the TSB wrote that the Class 111 tank cars built to the CPC-1232 standard, which had been travelling at the speed of 38 mph (61 km/h) at the time of derailment, “performed similarly to those involved in the Lac-Mégantic accident which occurred at 65 mph (105 km/h).”

The TSB reiterated that it wants tougher standards than CPC-1232 for all Class 111 tank cars.

“The TSB has warned (Transport Canada) that this standard was not sufficient and that more needed to be done to provide an adequate level of protection,” according to the update.

Washington Post: Train carrying crude oil derails in northern Ontario

RT.com: Huge fire: Train carrying crud oil derails in Canada

CBC Canada: Train carrying crude oil derails near Gogama, Ont.

Photo Erik White, CBC