More than a year after a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway oil train derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada will release its final report of what happened on that summer night in 2013. The TSB will hold a news conference on Tuesday in Lac-Mégantic where the report will be made public.
While the main story line of what happened on July 6 is known – an eastbound MM&A oil train was parked at a siding near Nantes when it rolled seven miles into Lac-Mégantic and derailed, killing 47 people – there are still details that have yet to be filled in. Hopefully, come Tuesday morning we'll have a better understanding, at least from a technical standpoint, of what happened. Here are five items to look for in the final report:
The Fire: Shortly after the eastbound oil train arrived at Nantes on the night of July 5, local residents called to report that the lead engine, C30-7 No. 5017, was on fire. The Nantes Fire Department responded to the blaze, shut the engine off and put out the fire. Two maintenance-of-way employees from the MM&A were then summoned to inspect the train. There have been differing opinions on how the fire played into the eventual disaster 7 miles down the track. On Tuesday, we'll finally get an answer.
How Many Brakes Were Tied Down: Another point of dispute was how many hand breaks should have been put on a loaded train sitting on an incline and how many were really tied down when the engineer left the scene on July 5. That number should emerge in the coming days.
Track Conditions: How bad was the track on which the oil train derailed in downtown Lac-Mégantic and was it the final failure that led to the deadly explosion? For years the crossing over Rue Lavel had a 10 mph speed restriction, but had it been better maintained, would the train have made it through town? After all, the curve in downtown Lac-Mégantic wasn't the first tight curve the oil train came to between there and Nantes.
One Man Crews: How will the practice of using one-man crew be impacted by Monday's final report? The practice is already being tamped down when it comes to highly hazardous trains but will the TSB recommend the practice come to an end across the board?
A Series of Mistakes or the Final Straw: Was what happened on the night of July 6, 2013, a tragic series of mistakes or the accumulation of failed policies and practices at the MM&A? Will the TSB lodge big fines at the already bankrupt railroad or let it all play out in court? And how will this report impact the government's case against the railroad and the three employees who will eventually stand trial for the death of 47 people?
Those questions and more should be answered on Tuesday, but the impacts of what happened 13 months ago in a small town in eastern Quebec will be felt for years. On July 5, 2013, the hazards of moving crude oil by rail was on few peoples mind. The next day it was on nearly every newspaper and news broadcast across Canada and the U.S.
Few can dispute the fact that the Lac-Mégantic wreck changed the railroad industry, and the public's perspective of it, forever.
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