Catastrophic rail failure caused train derailment in Saskatchewan: TSB
SASKATOON — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says a “sudden and catastrophic failure” of a rail caused a fiery train derailment in Saskatchewan.
The board says a rail that broke due to an undetected defect led to the derailment of a Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) freight train in Clair, east of Saskatoon, in October 2014.
Lead investigator Rob Johnston says regular ultrasonic track tests are required once a year and CN had inspected the section seven times the year before the accident. But the surface of the rail masked the defect, he said.
“CN far exceeded the regulatory requirement because they did recognize that there were issues with certain areas of this track,” Johnston said at a news conference on Wednesday.