Transportation Safety Board issues 2 safety advisories after Field train derailment

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada issued two safety advisories Thursday, following a deadly train derailment near Field, B.C. in February.

Three Calgary men who worked for Canadian Pacific Railway were killed on Feb. 4 when their train derailed and plunged into a river east of Field, B.C. Conductor Dylan Paradis, locomotive engineer Andrew Dockrell and conductor trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer were killed in the incident.

The derailment happened on the CP Rail main line between the Upper and Lower Spiral Tunnels, which were built to accommodate a steep grade change east of Field at the continental divide.

The day after the deadly derailment, the TSB said the train was stopped with air brakes applied for about three hours when it began to move on its own. The train then accelerated to a speed in excess of 32 kilometres per hour, TSB senior investigator James Carmichael said on Feb. 5.

There were no handbrakes applied to the train, according to the TSB.

On Thursday, the TSB said it has advised Transport Canada to review the efficacy of air brake system inspection and maintenance procedures for grain hopper cars used in unit train operations, and ensure that these cars can be operated safely at all times.

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The TSB also advised Transport Canada to ensure that effective safety procedures are applied to all trains stopped in emergency on both “heavy grades” and “mountain grades.”

Watch below: Global News coverage of the train derailment near Field, B.C. in February

2:07 Reports of ‘close calls’ surface following train derailment near Field

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• Advocates, industry experts call for stricter regulations following deadly B.C. train derailment
• Transportation Safety Board says train in deadly B.C. derailment began moving on its own
• TSB reveals preliminary findings on fatal Field train derailment
• Train starting moving before getting clearance: TSB
• TSB preliminary findings say ‘loss of control’ possible cause of B.C. train derailment
• TSB issues statement on investigation into fatal train derailment near Field, B.C.
• Aerial footage of fatal train derailment near Field B.C.
• Train cars lay beside highway after fatal train derailment
• Footage of fatal train derailment near Field, B.C.

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The train was heading west to Vancouver when 99 cars and two locomotives derailed. The train was a distributed power unit grain train composed of 112 covered hopper cars and three locomotives, according to the TSB.

After the derailment, the TSB said only 13 cars and the tail end locomotive remained on the track.

The TSB said Thursday its investigation is in the examination and analysis phase. The next steps in the investigation include looking into the weather conditions and the railway’s winter operating plan.