Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Broken rail caused 2019 derailment in Albert, Transportation Safety Board reports
A broken rail was the cause of a September 2019 derailment of a Canadian Pacific train in Alberta which led to a spill of hazardous materials and a local evacuation, according to a report released Tuesday by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The incident at 7:43 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2019, near Barons, Alta., about 50 miles southeast of Calgary, led to the derailment of the second head-end locomotive and 21 cars of the 96-car train, which also included a mid-train distributed power unit. Eleven of the derailed cars were tank cars; three containing octane, a flammable liquid, lost part of their load as a result, leading to an evacuation within a 1.2-mile radius of the accident site. No injuries or fire resulted. A review of the lead locomotive’s forward-facing camera showed a brake in the left-hand rail before the train passed over; marks on the wheels of the lead locomotive, which did not derail, were consistent with this damage. The investigation was unable to determine the cause of the break in the rail.
North County Transit District, San Diego agency receive grant for rail line work
The California Transportation Commission has awarded a $106 million grant to the North County Transit District and San Diego Association of Governments to help fund $202 million in work on the San Diego portion of the LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo) rail corridor. City News Service reports work will include stabilization of the Del Mar Bluffs, the planned Coaster stop at the San Diego Convention Center, bridge work near the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and work at Camp Pendleton.
OmniTRAX, Winchester & Western make donation to food agencies in West Virginia, New Jersey
Short line company OmniTRAX has announced more support for food banks in areas it services, joining its affiliate Winchester & Western to fund 220,000 meals through eastern West Virginia’s Congregational Cooperative Action Project/Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry and 150,000 meals through New Jersey’s Southern Regional Food Distribution Center. “This generous pledge will have a meaningful impact on our local community while really helping us achieve our mission,” Beverly Van Metre, president, CCAP/Loaves & Fishes, said in a press release, while Jill Lombardo, interim executive director of the New Jersey organization, said “the outreach is needed now more than ever.” The Winchester & Western operate in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
