Distracted crew likely caused B.C. train derailment, diesel spill, safety board finds

Tank cars containing liquefied petroleum gas derailed on Nov. 19, 2023, in Delta, B.C. (TSB)

The delayed reaction of a freight train crew, who may have missed a critical stop signal due to distraction, led to a 2023 crash and derailment in Delta, B.C., according to an investigation report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The report, published Thursday, found the northbound BNSF Railway train was carrying a variety of goods, including liquefied petroleum gas, when it collided with a southbound train operated by the same company on Nov. 19, 2023.

The crash spilled approximately 8,000 litres of diesel fuel from one of two derailed locomotives, while seven train cars were forced off the tracks, including two cars loaded with the highly flammable liquefied gas.

The northbound train crew “may have been distracted by an activity unrelated to train operations and likely did not observe a signal indicating they should be prepared to stop,” says a TSB statement accompanying the report.

The crew may have also thought they could pass freely through the signal area based on “prior communication with railway traffic control,” investigators found.

As a result, the crew did not slow the train and ultimately reacted too late to prevent the collision.

“This investigation presents another example of the risks posed by the lack of physical fail-safe defences against not following railway signal indications,” the safety board said.

The agency says BNSF has voluntarily installed preventive measures in Canada since the crash, including an automatic braking system that can slow down trains that approach stop signals too quickly.

The company has also implemented in-cab video recording and established a “crew focus zone” to reduce distractions, according to the safety board.

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