The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has determined that a train crash just outside of Kingston, Ont., last year may have been the result of human error and a lack of training.
On Sep. 5, 2019, a Via Rail passenger train collided two tank cars that had derailed and were leaning into the Via Rail line in Ernestown, Ont.
Although no one was injured, the Via Rail train side-swiped the tank cars while another oncoming Via Rail train was travelling on the next track.
The TSB investigator’s report said neither passenger trains derailed during the incident.
The two passenger trains had 112 and 170 passengers on board, respectively, at the time the crash.
TSB said the cause of the crash was human error — a conductor, who did not have much experience switching cars at the Ernestown switch, underestimated space on an industrial track near the main track.
The conductor was in the process of “shoving” tank cars onto an industrial track next to the main track, in order to make room for the Via rail passenger train to travel through when the error occurred.
An industrial line next to the main line where the Via Rail train was approaching was already occupied by tank cars, so the conductor decided to move 18 tank cars to the next auxiliary industrial line to allow the passenger train access to the main line.
TSB said the conductor estimated the length of the secondary industrial line “by walking and counting the number of cars the track could hold. He based this on a typical car length of 50 feet and used the cars that were located in the adjacent track (KN-03) as a reference for car length.”
What the conductor didn’t know, according to TSB, is that the length of the reference cars was two feet shorter than what he was estimating. He, therefore, shoved the tank cars too far on the secondary line, pushing them into the adjacent tank cars. Those cars then derailed and were hanging over into the main line when the Via Rail passenger train passed, causing the crash.
TSB said that the conductor, who had only recently transferred to this location, “lacked sufficient experience to properly estimate the length of the track.”
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The report also noted that training may be lacking for conductors when it comes to estimating the length of tracks. TSB said that it’s imperative when shoving cars that the conductor ride in the lead car, which they say, this particular conductor had neglected to do.
Following the investigation, Transport Canada issued a letter of non-compliance to CN Rail for failing to follow the Canadian Rail Operating Rules.
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