Just curious.........eh?
For many in the industry, the need for automated train controls in Canada was underscored by the fatal Via Rail 2012 crash in Burlington, Ont. The Transportation Safety Board’s investigation concluded the crew misinterpreted the signals and failed to slow the train in order to safely make a crossover to an adjacent track. A spokesperson from Transport Action Canada, a public transportation advocacy group in Ottawa, notes that, “Until an automated, physical defence system is in place as a fail-safe against operator mistakes, fatal derailments like the one in Burlington, although rare, remain a very real risk for those who work and ride on Canada’s rails.
I'm not aware of any pending regulatory requirement for PTC up here, but I'm sure it will happen eventually. Once the technology is proven and shown to be cost effective railroads will invest in it regardless.
Some Canadian politicians have called for legislation to mandate PTC systems. Canadian Sailings contacted Transport Canada to enquire whether or not a new government may have different ideas about PTC. Transport Canada responded, saying, “Most urban rail transit systems in Canada have some form of automated train control. This includes the ability to automatically track movements and the locations of trains. Transport Canada is closely monitoring the U.S. experience with PTC in order to better understand the challenges of implementing this type of technology and is working with industry to assess what type of train control technologies could be applied in Canada to the greatest benefit.”
North American railroads get an extension for implementation
Including the 2012 report, referenced at the beginning of this article, the TSB said it conducted five different investigations in recent years that found misinterpretation of signals caused or contributed to collisions or derailments. As a result of those investigations, the TSB recommended Transport Canada implement “fail-safe” train controls, such as positive train control, on high-speed rail corridors. “Additional defences that have already been developed … would have prevented this accident,” the TSB said.
Excerpts from Canada Transportation Act Review (2015)
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ctareview2014/CTAR_Vol1_EN.pdf
Freight and passenger railways in the United States, including United States-based subsidiaries of CN and CP, are required to implement an interoperable system of communications between railways and land-based stations called Positive Train Control, or PTC, by the end of 2015. Federal funding has been made available to help offset the significant related costs.
PTC is an emerging train control technology designed to stop a train before certain incidents occur, including train-to-train collisions, overspeed derailments, incursions into work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. Along with safety benefits, the technology may also help accommodate increases in network capacity.
The Transportation Safety Board noted the absence of PTC-like technologies in Canada in their report on the 2012 derailment of a VIA Rail train near Burlington, Ontario. The Board notes that “there has been no formal strategy developed to adapt either emerging technology or existing on-board computer systems to provide fail-safe physical train control defences.” The 2012 report recommends that “The Department of Transport require major Canadian passenger and freight railways implement physical fail-safe train controls, beginning with Canada’s high-speed rail corridors.”
Transport Canada officials note that they work closely with their counterparts in the United States on railway safety issues, and they are no doubt aware of ongoing discussions and related progress and delays. Notwithstanding these experiences, the absence of a clear public declaration about how and when similar technologies (PTC, in-cab video and voice recorders) will be implemented in Canada may be viewed as placing insufficient priority on the safety of Canadians and Canadian communities. The implementation of PTC in Canada will also have direct application to the safety of rail passengers, since corridors are shared with freight railways and, indirectly, it will add another tool for freight railways to optimize capacity on their existing physical footprint…
In order to strengthen the safety of the Canadian rail network, the Review recommends that Transport Canada work with the Canadian freight and passenger railway industry within the next year to determine the steps required to harmonize the deployment of safety technologies in Canada with those in the United States, including:
a. developing a policy to adapt either emerging technology or existing on-board computer systems to provide fail-safe physical train control defences within the Canadian rail network that are interoperable with United States-based Positive Train Control systems, and identifying a source of funds to support implementation in Canada;
b. developing a formal strategy for the implementation of in-cab video and voice recorders by 2020.
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail, Apr. 27, 2016
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ottawa-to-consult-rail-industry-on-safety-recommendations-garneau/article29777555/
Marc Garneau, Canada’s Transport Minister, said he will hold discussions with stakeholders before acting on any of the 60 recommendations made in a review of the country’s transportation laws commissioned by the previous government...
Mr. Garneau told The Globe and Mail the amount of goods crossing the border by rail means it makes sense to have similar safety standards, but that it might not be necessary to mirror U.S. laws. “We look at these things all the time. … I’m not going to give any predictions but we’re always looking for technology to ensure our train systems are as safe as possible,” Mr. Garneau said, without elaborating. “We each have to make our final decisions. … We don’t have to be identical on everything; as much as possible, we try to.”
Anything's possible, but it's up to the Canadians to decide if it's needed there.
Off-topically old stuff. Central Vermont!
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39602/m2/1/high_res_d/7913.pdf
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