It was a long time coming.
Rather naughty , to say the least . Engineering run by accountants . Never works .
Mike
Mike, yea. I really do not like bean counters, but anymore they are in charge of everything. That’s one reason customer service has suffered. An automated phone system is less expensive (in the long run) then a real live person.
David Maynard said:
Mike, yea. I really do not like bean counters, but anymore they are in charge of everything. That’s one reason customer service has suffered. An automated phone system is less expensive (in the long run) then a real live person.
David,
I don’t believe that the TSB is upset about the non-reporting “bean counters”. This, like the actual culprit of the Lac-Mégantic boils down to lack of a safety culture. If the head of a corporation like CP Rail can spout
“Lac-Mégantic happened, in my view, because of one person’s behaviour, if I read the file right,”
Then, IMHO, we need still more enforcement, not less, since the head of CP apparently didn’t get the message.
OTOH it is possible that he read a different report from the one I read; his copy could have been redacted in a “strictly for your eyes only” manner.
Just like in USA there are mandatory requirements for derailment/accidents that are to be reported. Yep time for Canada to join the group. Later RJD
Hans, yes he didn’t get the message. But somewhere a bean counter figured that a one person “crew” is more cost effective then a 2 person crew. We will never know, but maybe, if there was a second crew member there, things might have been done, and turned out, different.
OK, My ignorance. Is it considered an “accident” every time a wheel comes off the rail? Even if there is no damage to the car or it’s contents?
In Canada, does all road 18 wheelers have to file an accident report for every blow out, or leaking case of Valvoline in the trailers?
David,
According to the TSB report there wouldn’t have been an engine fire if proper maintenance procedures had been followed. Without that fire, the engine wouldn’t have been shut down when the y extinguished the fire, the pressure in the train line would have held and 47 people wouldn’t have died.But a shoe string operation like the MM&A cut every corner possible and didn’t really give a fig, other than making some money any way they could. AND that edict came right from the top honcho in Chicago. Ed Burkhardt has a track record that goes away back http://globalnews.ca/news/709823/profile-who-is-mma-railway-chairman-ed-burkhardt/
The above link gives you the condensed version, there’s plenty more.
As far as “the Hunter” aka E.Hunter Harrison goes, there must have been excellent reasons why the board of CN Rail didn’t renew his contract back in 2009.
Dave Taylor said:
OK, My ignorance. Is it considered an “accident” every time a wheel comes off the rail? Even if there is no damage to the car or it’s contents?
In Canada, does all road 18 wheelers have to file an accident report for every blow out, or leaking case of Valvoline in the trailers?
For detailed information you can read the TSB press release complete with a link to the TSB Regulations. 
BTW the TSB is only concerned with Marine, Pipeline, Rail and Air infractions. What happens on the roads is in the Provinces’ jurisdictions including environmental matters etc. in addition to traffic offenses and their consequences.