A couple of weeks ago we reported on the firey train derailment near Guernsey, Saskatchewan which resulted in over a million litres of oil spilled, and heavy speed restrictions immediately after from federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau on trains carrying dangerous goods.
After having time to look at things, those restrictions have been updated.
"Higher Risk Key Trains", meaning trains carrying either a single dangerous goods commodity or a combination of 80 or more cars with dangerous goods can go up to 48 km/h in metropolitan areas, or 40 km/h in metro areas without signalled crossings.
In non-metro areas where track signals are present, higher risk key trains can go up to 80 km/h, however that goes down to 40 km/h where there are no track signals.
For "Key Trains" defined as carrying 20 or more cars containing dangerous goods, or one or more cars of toxic inhalation gas, they can go up to 56 km/h in metro areas.
For non-metro areas with track signals, key trains can go up to 80 km/h, but that goes down gto 64 km/h in non-metro areas without track signals. The new measures will be in effect until April 1st as the federal government works with railways to develop new safety measures.
Originally, speed limits for trains carrying 20 or more cars with dangerous goods were slowed down to 32 km/h from 64 in metro areas, and to 40 km/h from 80 everywhere else.
