News Releases

For more than a century, towns and cities have been built around rail tracks and Canadians have relied on railways to ensure the efficient movement of goods and people. Today, 75 million passengers and close to 70 per cent of all intercity freight and half of Canada’s exports are moved by rail – all while producing less than 4 per cent of transportation-related greenhouse gases. Railways transport everything from the cars we drive, to the food we eat and the fuel we use to heat our homes, making Canada’s freight rail system crucial to our lives and our economy. Is it hard then to understand why Maclean’s would suggest that “gone…are the days when the railroads touched our daily lives.”

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) today acknowledges the tragic accident that occurred two years ago in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. Canada’s railway industry remains deeply committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never happens again. Since the accident in Lac-Mégantic, RAC and Transport Canada have both taken several measures to improve rail safety in Canada.

Railway Association of Canada (RAC) members welcome changes to Canada’s Railway Safety Management System (SMS) regulations, which came into effect on April 1, 2015. Canada’s railway industry worked collaboratively with Transport Canada on these revisions, which enhance an effective line of safety defence.

The Railway Association of Canada Dangerous Goods Team has completed its first of three 40-hour railway emergency response training courses at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Canada’s railways are launching their new AskRail app, aimed at providing emergency responders with real-time information about a train’s rail-car contents in the event of an emergency. Through AskRail’s mobile interface, developed by the Association of American Railroads and its members, including CN and CP, emergency responders across North America will be able to see the contents of a railcar through a simple search, view railway emergency contact information, and reference resources to support incident response.

Canada’s railways take safety very seriously. The railway industry has advocated for more robust tank car standards including increased shell thickness, jacket protection, and full-height head shields to protect the car from puncturing, among other safety features. The RAC participated in consultations on the new harmonized standard, filing comments with Transport Canada, and with the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration through its membership on the Association of American Railroads’ Tank Car Committee.

Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) braking systems use electronic controls to activate air-powered brakes on all cars in a train simultaneously. ECP brakes do not prevent derailments from happening; rather, this technology has some limited potential to mitigate the severity of a derailment. The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) believes this marginal safety benefit must be weighed against the considerable operational challenges of implementing this technology, and the additional risk posed to employee safety.

“See Tracks, Think” is the key message of this year’s Rail Safety Week (April 27 – May 3), a national week of activities devoted to educating the public about the dangers associated with railway crossings and trespassing on railway property. The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) encourages everyone to consider the impact that a lack of awareness around railway property could have on themselves, their family, their community and on railway employees.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) welcomes the federal government’s new tank car standard. The RAC also supports the government’s aggressive timeline for phasing out DOT-111 tank cars built before 2011.

John Armstrong, Milton Deno and the community of Saint-Lambert, Que. are the 2013-2014 inductees into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame (CRHF), a virtual exhibit that recognizes the people, technology and municipalities that have advanced Canada’s railway industry.