Data about railway accidents in Canada is “worryingly inaccessible, sometimes conflicting and in certain cases not available at all,” according to University of Calgary researcher Jennifer Winter.
In a report released by the university’s School of Public Policy titled “Safety in Numbers: Evaluating Canadian Rail Safety Data” Winter writes: “After the horrific and deadly train explosion at Lac-Mégantic, Que. in the summer of 2013, there are serious questions being raised publicly about the safety of Canada’s rail-transport system. Unfortunately, Canada’s public rail-safety data are currently in no shape to provide the answers to those questions.”
In her report, Winter makes a number of recommendations including suggesting the federal government take steps to develop a transportation data portal that consolidates the data on rail, road, pipeline, marine and air transportation.
Last July, an unmanned train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded, killing 47 people, and destroying the downtown core of Lac-Mégantic.
More information:
School of Public Policy, University of Calgary press release – Lack of rail safety data leaving Canada at risk for future incidents – here
Safety in Numbers: Evaluating Canadian Rail Safety Data report – here
Globe and Mail – Federal data on railway accidents are ‘inaccessible,’ researcher says – here
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