CN Rail doesn’t see the number of train derailments in the Rainy River district as being an anomaly.
Rail officials addressed safety concerns at a Fort Frances Councils virtual meeting Tuesday night.
Manager of Public Affairs in Ontario Daniel Salvatore says there are many factors causing derailments, including traffic volumes.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an anomaly. It is perhaps, I would submit, in relation to the frequency or volume of trains,” says Salvatore.
An estimated 30 trains roll through the community each day. Many head to the US, making it one of the busiest rail entry points along the Canada-US border.
In the section between Fort Frances and Chapple township, Transport Canada documents six derailments in the past seven years.
Salvatore says CN doesn’t want accidents as much as anyone else and takes all incidents seriously.
“A considerable amount of effort goes into the cause of those derailments, what can be done differently. Working with Transport Canada reporting on what happened,” says Salvatore.
Salvatore notes CN spent $310-million improving its lines in Ontario this year, including replacing rail and ties and improving rail crossings. The amount spent on the line in the Rainy River district was not immediately disclosed.
Steven Santelli, a senior Dangerous Goods Officer at CN, says they are also there to work with municipalities.
“If you want me to be part of your emergency response plan, you want me to take part in tabletop exercises, please do so. If you want to see the resources we have available are, take us up on the offer. We really do. All this training is complimentary, and it’s what we do, and it what we push,” says Santelli.
Town council requested the meeting in February following a derailment in Emo.
That accident has since been blamed on ice under the tracks, known to the industry as ice-jacking
