Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Additional Friday morning rail news:
Relatives ask for police investigation, Prime Minister’s intervention in CP derailment case
The mother of a crew member killed in the February 2019 runaway incident of a Canadian Pacific train near Field, B.C., has filed formal complaints with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police asking them to step into an investigation of the incident, while other relatives have launched a petition and video appeal asking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene. The CBC reports the calls for action follow a claim from a former CP Police Service officer that he was prevented from looking into some aspects of the wreck during his investigation, calling it “some kind of coverup.” The railroad’s police chief declined to comment on the allegation but said the officer resigned amidst allegations of misconduct and that the broadcaster would be “misleading to your audience to take this disgruntled employee’s comments at face value.” Investigations continue into the Feb. 4, 2019 derailment, which occurred as a grain descended Kicking Horse Pass; initial findings shows the train started to move on its own following a crew change [see “Investigators: CP grain train started to move on its own,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 5, 2019].
Effort to save Charles City, Iowa, station draws $100,000 pledge
A Charles City, Iowa, resident has pledged $100,000 in matching funds for new donations to an effort to save the city’s former Milwaukee Road station. KIMT-TV reports World War II veteran James F. Smith, who recalls leaving from the station en route to his military service has made the pledge for the effort to save the station. About $150,000 of the $350,000 needed to move the building has been raised so far; Canadian Pacific has set a March 31, 2021, deadline for the fundraising effort. If saved, the building will be renovated into a multi-purpose facility as a trailhead for a local trail system, a gateway for the new American Passenger Train History Museum, and as a site for public meetings and events. Information on tax-deductible donations is available at the museum website.
UP, CN help fund self-driving truck firm
Union Pacific and Canadian National are among the companies which have provided the latest round of funding for self-driving trucks firm TuSimple, website TechCrunch reports. Also involved in the $350 million round of funding were Goodyear, freight company U.S. Xpresss, and retailer Kroger. The company has raised $648 million since its founding in 2015.
