Rail News – Investigation into TSB incident finds problems with engineer training and signaling rules. For those working in the railway industry

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report into an incident involving a Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&L) ore hauling train in Quebec last year.

On February 22, 2023, the train passed a stop signal at Mai station while another train was traveling in the opposite direction towards Mai. The incident did not cause a collision, derailment or injuries.

The investigation found that the driver’s mental state was likely impaired by the fact that he routinely stopped his train’s lead locomotive in front of the camp behind the signal. The engineer also developed a habit of not always sending stop signals over the train’s radio, as required by Canadian Railway Operating Rules, TSB officials said in a news release.

Including the incident, there have been 12 incidents of QNS&L trains passing stop signals over the past decade, according to the investigation. According to TSB officials, human performance and experience were considered as factors in all incidents.

In September 2023, the TSB sent a safety information letter to QNS&L regarding the supervision of newly qualified locomotive drivers. As a result, QNS&L made changes to its assessment program for aspiring engineers and increased the frequency of on-site supervisor assessments for engineers with less than two years of experience.

Following railway signal displays is a TSB watchlist issue because signals are not consistently recognized and followed, posing the risk of train collisions or derailments, TSB officials said.