What caused the Lac-Mégantic derailment?
The Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the derailment and found 18 factors led to the Lac-Megantic disaster, including poor training, mechanical problems and sloppy safety oversight, a Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigation concluded.
How many oil trains have derailed?
Since 2013, North America has seen at least 21 oil train accidents—and counting. The Northwest dodged a bullet December 22, 2020, when yet another oil train derailed and caught fire.
How many people died in the Quebec train derailment?
47 people
On 6 July 2013, 47 people died in the small eastern Quebec town in the major derailment – deaths a Quebec coroner later called both “violent” and “avoidable”.
Who was responsible for Lac-Mégantic?
The engine was removed from the auction in response to Surêté du Québec objections. MMA’s train engineer Thomas Harding, manager of train operations Jean Demaître and railway traffic controller Richard Labrie were charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death.
How often do trains derail in Canada?
Actions-related factors 10 accounted for 33% of assigned factors in 2018, up compared to 19% for the 10-year average. Track-related factors were reported in 27% of main-track derailments in 2018, below the 10-year average of 38%….Figure 6.
| Year | Main-track collisions | Main-track derailments |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 | 88 |
What was the deadliest train crash in history?
The Maurienne Derailment – Between 800 & 1,000 Deaths The single worst railway disaster in history, the Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne incident took place the same year as the previous disaster on this list.
How many people died at Lac-Mégantic?
In the early morning of 6 July 2013, a runaway train hauling 72 tankers filled with crude oil derailed as it approached the centre of the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The tanker cars exploded and the oil caught fire, killing 47 people and destroying many buildings and other infrastructure in the town centre.