The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is issuing a safety concern regarding alcohol consumption in Canadian rail operations following its investigation into the collision and subsequent derailment of two Canadian National Railway (CN) freight trains.
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On 02 September 2021 at about 1028,Footnote1 Canadian National Railway Company (CN) intermodal train Z14921-02 (train 149) was proceeding westward on the north main track of the Kingston Subdivision where a hand-operated switch provides access to an industrial spur track in the town of Prescott, Ontario.
Train 149 was to pass by the switch and continue on the north main track to Toronto, Ontario.
However, having received permission from the rail traffic controller (RTC) to enter the north main track in accordance with Rule 568 of the Canadian Rail Operating Rules (CROR), the crew of CN train L53231-02 (train 532), an industrial switching assignment, had reversed the switch to track KE01 of the industrial spur.
The RTC did not obtain the required location report from the crew on train 149. Therefore, he did not know the train’s exact location in relation to the switch.
When the RTC received the request from train 532 to enter the north main track, he developed a mental model that train 149 had already gone by the switch and he therefore issued the CROR Rule 568 permission to train 532.
At that time, the RTC’s workload was complex, and his attention was diverted to other competing tasks.
Approaching the switch, the crew members on train 149 realized that it was lined against them and placed the train into emergency, but the train was unable to stop. Train 149 entered the spur track where it collided head-on with train 532at approximately 37 mph.
As a result of the collision, the 4 locomotives (2 on each train) derailed and sustained significant impact damage. The fuel tank on the lead locomotive of train 149 was punctured and released diesel fuel, but the fuel did not ignite.
Fourteen intermodal car bodies loaded with double-stack containers also derailed along with 2 stationary cars on the spur track. There was significant damage to the north main track, the south main track, and 2 of the tracks in the industrial spur; in total, approximately 1000 feet of track was destroyed.
Two crew members sustained minor injuries, and 1 crew member was admitted to hospital with serious injuries.
About 2 hours after the accident, the RTC submitted to the mandatory breath alcohol test, which was conducted by DriverCheck Inc., a third-party provider of workplace medical testing and assessments.
A breath alcohol test indicated a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.023 g/210L. Seventeen minutes later, a confirmation breath alcohol test was completed and indicated a BrAC of 0.019 g/210L.
The results were reviewed by the chief medical review officer of DriverCheck Inc, who indicated that the RTC’s extrapolated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was estimated to have ranged from 0.064% to 0.109% at the start of his shift, and from 0.044% to 0.069% at the time of the accident.
The report produced by the chief medical review officer 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 RTC’s performance and level of attention were likely affected by the persistent effects of alcohol consumption. ■