Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway - Accidents

Accidents

The CBNS has experienced two major derailments since taking over operation of the Truro - Sydney railway line from CN in 1993:

• On April 18, 2004, westbound freight train 301-18 derailed ten cars at mile 51.7 of the Hopewell Subdivision near Linacy, Nova Scotia at approximately 23h35 ADT. Nine of the ten derailed cars were loaded with liquified petroleum gas (propane). No individuals were injured, however, two schools and two residences were forced to evacuate for nine days while cleanup operations took place. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigated and determined that the train had been operated safely and that no mechanical defects existed in the locomotives or consist. The investigation determined that the derailment occurred as a result of a track issue; the slower freight train had been operating along a curve that was super-elevated. This type of track configuration dated to the high speed requirements of the Via Rail Canada "Dayliner" passenger trains which were canceled on January 15, 1990. The heavy weight of the slower freight train forced the lower track on the inside of the curve to collapse.

• On June 13, 2010, a westbound freight train derailed sixteen cars on the Hopewell Subdivision in Avondale Station, Nova Scotia. Six of the sixteen derailed cars were loaded with liquified petroleum gas (propane). No individuals were injured, however, several residences were forced to evacuate for multiple days while cleanup operations took place. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is currently investigating. A CBNS official was quoted in local media as stating that a preliminary finding had determined that a defect in a non-CBNS freight car was thought to have caused the derailment. A subsequent minor derailment in Stellarton, Nova Scotia the following week where two freight cars left the tracks during a yard switching operation created a minor media sensation.

The June 2010 derailment on the Hopewell Subdivision (western section of the railway) coincided with a controversial debate throughout the summer of 2010 on whether the provincial government would extend the five-year subsidy agreement that was tied to maintaining the Sydney Subdivision (eastern section of the railway) where traffic had declined below sustainable levels. A site visit to view track conditions on the Hopewell Subdivision in Pictou County by Nova Scotia's Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Bill Estabrooks in September 2010 revealed several track defects. Estabrooks stated that such track defects could cause the railroad to lose its operating license from the provincial government, however, CBNS owner RailAmerica downplayed the issue by explaining that such defects on the Hopewell Subdivision were minor and the railroad was safe.