Alcohol consumption played a role in a 2021 head-on crash between two freight trains that left several crew members injured and destroyed hundreds of feet of track in Prescott Ont., the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada says.
The Sept. 2, 2021 crash saw four locomotives and 16 cars derail after a CN train heading west to Toronto (train 149) crashed into another CN train (train 532) on a side track near Edward Street in the town of Prescott.
One crew member was seriously injured while another sustained minor injuries in the crash, the TSB said in a report released Wednesday.
The report says a manually operated switch connecting the side track to the mainline had been routed incorrectly and cites alcohol consumption by the rail traffic controller (RTC) as a contributing factor in the crash.
“Under CN’s Policy to Prevent Workplace Alcohol and Drug Problems, the RTC submitted to a mandatory post-accident breath alcohol test; the results indicated that the RTC was either drinking alcohol at the beginning of his shift or had significant alcohol intake the early morning of or the night before work,” the TSB said in a media release Wednesday.
“The RTC’s performance and level of attention were likely affected by the persistent effects of alcohol consumption.”
According to the report the RTC’s blood alcohol level was tested and found to be 0.023 roughly two hours after the crash.
A subsequent review done by a third-party provider of workplace medical testing and assessments estimated his BAC to have been between 0.044 and 0.069 at the time of the crash, and between 0.064 and 0.109 at the start of his shift.
The TSB’s report also notes the RTC had “a complex workload” and says his attention had been “diverted to competing tasks” at the time of the crash.
“When he issued permission to train 532 to enter the main track, he assumed that train 149 had already passed the switch. Additionally, he did not obtain the required location report from train 149 before permitting train 532 to access the main track,” the TSB said.
According to the report, the crew on train 149 realized the switch was reversed and tried unsuccessfully to stop the train before the crash.
The report estimates train 149 was travelling roughly 37 km/h when it slammed head-first into the stationary train.
A fuel tank on the lead locomotive of train 149 was punctured and released diesel fuel, but the fuel did not ignite, the report noted.
There was “significant damage” to the north main track, the south main track and two of the tracks in the industrial spur, or sidetrack. In total, roughly 1,000 feet of track was destroyed, according to the report.
The report notes that, unlike aviation regulations in Canada, neither the Railway Safety Act nor its associated regulations currently prescribe a time period prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by employees before they assume their duties.
“Therefore, given that in Canada no time period prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by railway employees in safety-critical positions is required, the Board is concerned that such employees could perform their duties while under the influence of alcohol,” the report concludes, without making further recommendations.
In a statement to Global News CN said it was “disappointed that the report did not recommend a clearer framework regarding drug and alcohol consumption in safety critical positions.
“CN remains firm in its belief that random testing employees in safety-critical positions is the only way to deter impairment at work,” the company said in an email.
“This is an important tool for preventing incidents and addressing associated safety concerns.”
At the time of the crash, Via Rail said 1,600 of its passengers were affected by delays between Montreal and Toronto due to the incident.