CALGARY – The Transportation Safety Board says a train derailment that forced an evacuation and closed a major Calgary traffic artery at rush hour was caused by faulty track layout.
Seven cars carrying highly flammable hydrocarbons tipped over September 2013, although none spilled and no injuries were reported.
The safety board says in a report that the derailment occurred when the lip of a train wheel overloaded a switch point on the track in a rail yard.
About 140 houses and 12 businesses in southeast Calgary were briefly evacuated. Nearby roads were also closed. Canadian Pacific Railway has since redesigned and improved that section of track.
The accident occurred about three months after another derailment on a bridge in downtown Calgary days after heavy flooding.
That derailment caused Mayor Naheed Nenshi to demand answers from the rail carrier.
© The Canadian Press, 2015
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