No. P07/06
For release July 5, 2006

TRANSPORT CANADA ORDERS CN
TO OPERATE LOCOMOTIVES EQUIPPED
WITH DYNAMIC BRAKES IN LILLOOET AREA

VANCOUVER — The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities today announced a Notice and Order has been issued to the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) ordering all locomotives operating southbound between Kelly Lake and Polley in the Lillooet, B.C. area be equipped with dynamic brakes.

“I am very concerned about the recent CN derailment in British Columbia which resulted in fatal injuries to two CN employees and serious injuries to a third one,” said Mr. Cannon. “We are ordering CN to use dynamic brake-equipped locomotives in the Lillooet area as an added safety precaution on this steep downhill slope until the causes and contributing factors of this tragic accident can be determined.”

Transport Canada will also be reviewing, with the railway companies, the use of locomotives not equipped with dynamic brakes in their railway operations in British Columbia.

Dynamic brakes are a supplementary braking system that creates resistance in the traction motors of the locomotive’s engine to help control the speed of the train when it is going down hill. The system creates a reverse pull on the trains wheels to help slow the train down.

A Notice and Order is issued under Section 31 of the Railway Safety Act, when in the opinion of a Transport Canada railway safety inspector, there is an immediate threat to safe railway operations.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is currently investigating the derailment to determine the cause. Transport Canada is closely following the TSB's ongoing investigation through a Minister's Observer who was appointed after the accident. The Minister’s Observer will advise the department of any significant regulatory factors and will identify deficiencies that may require immediate corrective action. In addition, Transport Canada inspectors will verify that the company continues to comply with all aspects of the Railway Safety Act and the Canada Labour Code, Part II.

As the railway regulator, Transport Canada is responsible under the Railway Safety Act for promoting, monitoring and enforcing compliance with existing rules and regulations. The department has a regular inspection program in place as well as a mechanism to audit railway infrastructure, equipment and methods of operation to ensure that rail companies comply with the Railway Safety Act.

Canada has one of the safest and largest rail networks in the world with 48,000 kilometres of track and over 40,000 railway crossings. Transport Canada takes very seriously any incident or accident that affects the transportation system.

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