No. H03S/99
For release
April 21, 1999
TRANSPORT MINISTER ATTENDS INAUGURAL MEETING OF RAILWAY SAFETY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
AYLMER, Que.Transport Minister David Collenette today attended the inaugural
meeting of the Railway Safety Consultative Committee, a permanent committee composed of
Transport Canada officials and rail safety stakeholders.
"The need for ongoing dialogue among all parties involved in rail transportation
activities is obvious," said Mr. Collenette. "This committee offers an excellent
forum for discussion of ways to meet the challenge of improving rail safety in
Canada."
The Committee, which is chaired by Transport Canada's director general of railway
safety, will meet biannually. Membership is open to persons and groups with an interest in
rail safety, such as railway companies, associations and unions.
The establishment of the Committee is one of a number of new railway safety
measures.
Others are: increasing safety at railway crossings through more stringent visibility
standards; reducing trespassing on railway tracks through a variety of measures, such as
fencing and information and awareness activities; and enhancing passenger safety on trains
through on-board safety announcements.
The Committee was established following an intensive period of stakeholder consultation
to develop amendments to the Railway Safety Act, which received royal assent on
March 25, 1999. These amendments are designed to fully modernize the legislative and
regulatory framework of Canada's rail transportation system.
"I am proud of the collaboration with our partners on these innovative efforts to
further improve rail safety in Canada," said Mr. Collenette. "The Government of
Canada is committed to forging partnerships among all players in Canada's rail
transportation industry and finding ways to unite our common safety objectives."
Contact: Peter Gregg, Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister, Ottawa 613-991-0700
Transport Canada is online at http://www.tc.gc.ca/.
This news release may be made available in alterative formats for persons with visual
disabilities.
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