[SystemSafety] Final Report on the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway accident at Lac-Mégantic

[Martyn Thomas]

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Martyn



The Canadian Transportation Safety Board's Final Report on the Montreal,
Maine & Atlantic Railway accident at Lac-Mégantic, Quebec has been
issued. It may be found at:
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/enquetes-investigations/rail/2013/r13d0054/r13d0054.asp


 

For context, from the Report:

"On 5 July 2013, at about 10:50 p.m., after arriving in Nantes, Quebec,
a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) locomotive engineer parked a
train on a descending grade on the main track. The engineer applied hand
brakes on all five locomotives, plus two other cars, and shut down all
but the lead locomotive. Railway rules require hand brakes alone be
capable of holding a train, and this must be verified by a test. That
night, the locomotive air brakes were left on during the test, meaning
the train was being held by a combination of hand brakes and air brakes,
and giving a false impression that the hand brakes alone would hold the
train.

"When a fire began in the engine of the lead locomotive, in keeping with
railway instructions, emergency responders shut off the engine, which
subsequently caused the air holding the locomotive air brakes to leak
off. Without enough force from the handbrakes, the train began rolling
downhill toward Lac-Mégantic, just over seven miles away. As it moved
down the grade, the train picked up speed, reaching a top speed of 65
mph. It derailed near the centre of town at about 1:15 a.m.

"Almost all of the derailed tank cars were damaged, and many had large
breaches. About six million litres of petroleum crude oil was quickly
released. The fire began almost immediately, and the ensuing blaze and
explosions left 47 people dead. Another 2000 people were forced from
their homes, and much of the downtown core was destroyed."
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