Rail recommendations
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is responsible for advancing transportation safety. One of the ways it does this is by making recommendations to federal departments and other organizations to eliminate or reduce safety deficiencies.
Under our Act, federal ministers must formally respond to TSB recommendations and explain how they have addressed or will address the safety deficiencies. Using an Assessment Rating Guide (which includes definitions for the status of recommendations), the Board evaluates the responses and their overall effectiveness. Each response is assessed as Fully Satisfactory, Satisfactory Intent, Satisfactory in Part or Unsatisfactory. Progress made to address TSB recommendations is assessed by the Board on an ongoing basis.
For recommendations and assessments made before January 1, 2005, please refer to our annual reports.
See the backgrounder on the 2011-12 reassessments of responses to the Board’s rail recommendations.
To read the full assessment of a recommendation, click on the assessment link.
| Number | Recommendation | Source report | Current assessment | Status | Watchlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R10-01 | The Department of Transport, in conjunction with the railway industry and other North American regulators, establish a protocol for reporting and analyzing tank car stub sill failures so that unsafe cars are repaired or removed from service. | R09W0016 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R09-04 | Transport Canada work with the provincial governments to expedite the implementation of a national standard for low ground clearance advance warning signs at railway crossings. | R08T0158 | Satisfactory intent | Active |  Watchlist |
|
| R09-03 | Canadian National take effective action to identify and mitigate risks to safety as required by its safety management system, and the Department of Transport require Canadian National to do so. | R06V0136 | Fully satisfactory | Active | ||
| R09-02 | Transport Canada implement standards to improve the visibility of emergency contact signage at railway crossings in Canada. | R07D0111 | Satisfactory intent | Active | Watchlist |
|
| R09-01 | Transport Canada conduct safety assessments of level crossings on the high-speed passenger rail Québec-Windsor corridor and ensure that defences are adequate to mitigate the risk of truck/train collisions. | R07D0111 | Satisfactory intent | Active | Watchlist |
|
| R08-02 | The Department of Transport ensure that railways adopt procedures and technologies to track all wheel sets. | R06T0022 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R08-01 | The Department of Transport ensure that all 36-inch Canadian National Transcona wheel shop wheel sets assembled between April 1998 and February 2001 be removed from cars operating in Canada. | R06T0022 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R07-04 | The Department of Transport extend the safety provisions of the construction standards applicable to 286 000-pound cars to all new non-pressurized tank cars carrying dangerous goods. | R04Q0040 | Satisfactory intent | Active | ||
| R07-03 | The Department of Transport and the railway industry conduct in-depth studies on the behaviour of saturated organic materials under cyclic loading. | R04Q0040 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R07-02 | The Department of Transport establish standards requiring that rails approaching their fatigue limit be replaced. | R05E0059 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R07-01 | The Department of Transport establish minimum standards for the quality and strength of maintenance rails. | R05E0059 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R06-02 | The Department of Transport assess the risk to pedestrians at all multi-track main-line crossings, make its assessment public and implement a program, in conjunction with stakeholders, to mitigate the risk of second-train pedestrian accidents. | R05T0030 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R06-01 | The Department of Transport work with the Railway Association of Canada to implement rail traffic control protocols and training that will recognize periods of high workload and make safety paramount. | R04T0008 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R04-03 | The Department of Transport, in consultation with other federal, provincial, and municipal agencies, implement consistent training requirements that ensure emergency first responders remain competent to respond to rail accidents involving dangerous goods. | R02W0063 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R04-02 | The Department of Transport, in consultation with the provinces and the trucking industry, review and update, as necessary, educational and training material for drivers with respect to the risks associated with a heavy vehicle negotiating a public passive railway crossing. | R02W0063 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R04-01 | Transport Canada encourage the railway companies to implement technologies and/or methods of train control to assure that in-train forces generated during emergency braking are consistent with safe train operation. | R01M0061 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R03-05 | The Department of Transport incorporate in its compliance reviews a comparison of railway working procedures and practices with railway inspection and maintenance records. | R03V0083 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R03-04 | CN verify the condition of its timber bridges and ensure their continued safety with effective inspection and maintenance programs. | R03V0083 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R03-03 | The Department of Transport implement new grade crossing procedures without delay irrespective of the status of the proposed regulations. | R00T0257 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R03-02 | The Department of Transport, in conjunction with the railway industry, establish comprehensive national standards for locomotive data recorders that include a requirement for an on-board cab voice recording interfaced with on-board communications systems. | R99T0017 | Satisfactory in part | Active | Watchlist |
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| R03-01 | The Department of Transport, in co-operation with the industry, research the issue of continuous operation of UDE problematic trains and establish policies and procedures to resolve this issue. | R00H0004 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R02-04 | Transport Canada ensure that the design specifications for locomotive event recorders include provisions regarding the survivability of data. | R99H0010 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R02-03 | Transport Canada review the provisions of Schedule I and the requirements for emergency plans to ensure that the transportation of liquid hydrocarbons is consistent with the risks posed to the public. | R99H0010 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R02-02 | The Department of Transport, in conjunction with the tank car owners, review the existing inspection and maintenance program for thermal protection of tank cars already in service, and ensure that their thermal protection systems confer acceptable thermal resistance to reduce the risk of the premature release of dangerous goods in a fire. | R99T0256 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R02-01 | The Department of Transport review the classification and safety marks for anhydrous ammonia to ensure that it is in a class and division consistent with the risks it poses to the public. | R99T0256 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R01-07 | The Department of Transport, in cooperation with Canadian National, comprehensively examine all private and farm crossings on the Kingston Subdivision with a view to closing or consolidating crossings, and where identified as necessary, upgrade those remaining to lessen the safety risk. | R99T0298 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | Watchlist |
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| R01-06 | The Department of Transport's new regulations include horizontal alignment standards for approaches to private and farm crossings. | R99T0298 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | Watchlist |
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| R01-05 | The Department of Transport expedite the promulgation of new grade crossing regulations. | R99T0298 | Satisfactory intent | Active | Watchlist |
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| R01-04 | The Department of Transport and the Railway Association of Canada ensure that maintenance standards and practices address the level of risks in heavy tonnage "other than main tracks". | R98T0292 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R01-03 | The Department of Transport require the development of additional permanent system defences that permit a means to help ensure safety when trains approach main track switches in Occupancy Control System outside Automatic Block Signal System territory. | R99H0007 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R01-02 | The Department of Transport, the Railway Association of Canada and provincial authorities responsible for train operation review the system design specifications for computer-assisted and non-computer-assisted Occupancy Control System in Canada to ensure all components of these systems are designed with sufficient regard to human error. | R99H0007 | Satisfactory in part | Inactive | ||
| R01-01 | The Department of Transport require the development of additional permanent system defences that permit a means to help ensure safety when trains approach main track switches in Occupancy Control System outside Automatic Block Signal System territory. | R99H0007 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R00-05 | The Department of Transport assess the impact of noise on voice communication in locomotive cabs and ensure that crew members can effectively communicate safety-critical information. | R98V0148 | Satisfactory in part | Inactive | Watchlist |
|
| R00-04 | The Department of Transport and the railway industry implement additional backup safety defences to help ensure that signal indications are consistently recognized and followed. | R98V0148 | Satisfactory In part | Active | Watchlist |
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| R00-03 | The Department of Transport ensure that an assessment is made of the suitability of current Canadian Rail Operating Rules and railway instructions concerning the immediate reporting of operating delays to all concerned when there is a safety risk. | R98C0022 | Fully Satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R00-02 | The Department of Transport ensure that an assessment is made of the technologies designed for the safe separation of railway rolling stock movements, with the intent of establishing a minimum safety standard. | R98C0022 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R00-01 | A system-wide assessment of Canadian National's track and turnout inspection reporting and supervisory review procedures be conducted by either Transport Canada or the railway. | R98T0042 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R98-02 | The Department of Transport assess the trailer securement system and related safety inspections of the Iron Highway to ensure that the risks associated with the securement of highway trailers are appropriately addressed. | R97H0008 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R97-06 | The Depatment of Transport develop and implement policies and procedures for a national audit program that will effectively evaluate the railways' ability to maintain national safety standards. | R96C0172 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R96-14 | The Department of Transport, in cooperation with the railways, the provincial and local authorities, implement, on a priority basis, a program to upgrade the pedestrian protection systems on those multiple-track mainline crossings in populated areas warranting immediate attention. | R95D0055 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R96-12 | The Department of Transport re-assess the risk associated with operating cabooseless trains without an illuminated rear marker. | R94T0334 | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R95-02 | The Deparment of Transport review the application of CROR Rule 105 with a view to ensuring that an appropriate safety factor is maintained with opposing movements. | R93C0103 | Satisfactory in part | Not assessed | Dormant | |
| R94-03 | The Ontario Minister of Transportation ensure that passenger coaches on the Ontario Northland Railway have adequate means for securing baggage in overhead racks or bins. | R91H0026* | Satisfactory in part | Inactive | ||
| R93-11 | The Department of Transport coordinate with the appropriate provincial authorities to require that tank trucks placarded for the transport of dangerous goods stop at all public crossings before proceeding. | R91E0072* | Satisfactory in part | Active | ||
| R93-03 | The Department of Transport ensure that federally regulated railways are correctly applying appropriate standards for destressing continuous welded rail. | R90C0092* | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R93-01 | The Department of Transport reassess the adequacy of current Canadian railway procedures and equipment for main track rail testing for: a identifying rail defects on curved track, and b identifying vertical split head defects. | R92W0240*, R93T0033*, R93C0020* | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R92-23 | The Department of Transport reassess the adequacy of Canadian railway requirements for main line rail testing, taking into account the age of the rail and the nature of the traffic. | R90C0124* | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R92-22 | The Department of Transport review the adequacy of current railway practices with respect to timely corrective action when rail head wear exceeds specified wear limits. | R90C0124* | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | ||
| R92-07 | The Department of Transport coordinate the necessary protocols with the AAR and Canadian railways to effect cost recovery by carrying railways which take corrective action to replace components which exceed specified condemning limits for combination truck component wear on leased cars in service. | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | |||
| R92-06 | The Department of Transport prescribe condemning limits for combination truck component wear for all leased carss in service on federally regulated railways. | Fully satisfactory | Inactive | |||
| R91-01 | The Department of Transport establish minimum standards for the type, location and requirement for fencing along railway right-of-way approaching railway bridges and any other areas where frequent pedestrian incursions are known. | R91H0524* | Satisfactory intent | Active |
*These older reports are not available on the website. For more information, contact us.
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