Canada’s TSB again calls for PTC-type system in report on BNSF collision
RICHMOND, British Columbia – The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has reiterated its call for an advanced train control system in its report on a 2023 collision between two BNSF Railway trains in New Westminster, B.C.
“This investigation presents another of example of the risks posed by the lack of physical fail-safe defenses against not following railway signal indications, a TSB Watchlist issue,” the agency said in a press release.
The report, issued today (April 30), is available here.
The 2:22 a.m. incident on Nov. 19, 2023 saw northbound freight train R-NEW804 pass a stop signal and collide with southbound train M-VBCEVE1-18, which was entering a siding. No injuries occurred, but two multi-platform intermodal cars on the southbound train derailed, as did two locomotives and five cars on the northbound train. Two of those cars contained liquefied petroleum gas; a third contained residue from having previously contained LPG. No leaks occurred from those cars, but 8,000 liters (more than 2,000 gallons) of fuel spilled from the lead locomotive of train R-NEW804.
The derailment scene following the Nov. 19, 2023, collision of two BNSF trains. TSB
The TSB’s investigation determined that the crew of train R-NEW804 may have been distracted by non-operating activity – use of a flashlight to spot wildlife on and beyond the right of way – and likely missed a signal indication requiring the train to be prepared to stop at the next signal. As a result, the crew was unprepared for the stop signal and passed it at a speed of 34 mph; an emergency brake application was too late to prevent a collision with southbound train M-VBCEVE1.
Following the incident, BNSF voluntarily installed positive train control on its New Westminster Subdivision. It also began recording information from inward-facing cameras, which had previously been disabled in Canada because they were not required.
The BNSF collision was one of three events that led to an April 2024 letter from the TSB to Canada’s transport minister, urging the minister to accelerate the implementation of fail-safe train control systems, which the TSB has called for since 2000 and Transport Canada and the rail industry have been discussing since 2013. The accident report says the TSB has yet to receive a response to that letter.
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