Canada’s transport ministers have issued new rules for transporting dangerous substances following the Lac-Mégantic derailment that killed 47.
Any locomotive carrying dangerous goods must be operated by a minimum of two qualified employees at all times and never left unattended on a mainline under the new regulations.
Transport Canada issued the emergency directive following the Lac-Mégantic disaster.
On July 6, 47 people were killed when a runaway freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in the small Quebec town.
The train was left unattended at the time and an investigation is now underway.
The Canadian National Railway Company’s (CN) president and chief executive, Claude Mongeau, has shown his support for the directive.
“The government’s new safety rules will help to reduce the risk of unintended train movements that can lead to catastrophic accidents such as the one in Lac-Mégantic, Que,” said Mongeau.
“This rail accident, the most devastating in decades, will be thoroughly investigated by federal authorities to determine exactly what went wrong and what needs to be done to prevent such accidents in the future.
“This tragedy is a sober reminder to the industry that safety must be an absolute priority to prevent accidents from harming the communities and the environment railways must go through.”
The new rules also look at the application of brakes and the use of directional controls, which must now be removed from any unattended locomotives.
