News release

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its investigation report (R20H0130) into a 2020 collision between a train and a hi-rail vehicle near Hornepayne, Ontario.

On 28 November 2020, a Canadian National Railway Company (CN) freight train was proceeding eastward on the Caramat Subdivision when it collided with a hi-rail vehicle that had been parked on the main track foul of the train’s route. The hi-rail vehicle was destroyed, while the lead locomotive sustained minor damage. No one was injured.

The investigation determined that the hi-rail vehicle was parked outside the limits of authority (i.e., area of track) specified in the track occupancy permit (TOP) issued to the signal maintainer. This was due to a miscommunication and misunderstanding with the rail traffic controller, and the signal maintainer forming an inaccurate mental model of the TOP limit. Additionally, track units such as hi-rail vehicles do not activate signals in Canada, therefore it went undetected by the rail traffic controller.

The investigation found that several instructions and rules intended to confirm TOP limits were not followed as required. The maintainer’s limited experience in requesting TOPs, while working his first shift alone on the Caramat Subdivision, also contributed to the occurrence.

In Canada, railway company testing for cannabis is performed only after an occurrence or when there is cause to suspect impairment. The signal maintainer was tested following the occurrence, as required by procedure. However, results from two different tests were conflicting and as such, it could not be concluded whether the signal maintainer was impaired by cannabis at the time of the occurrence. The current test protocols may be insufficient to detect employees in railway safety-critical positions operating equipment while impaired.

Since the occurrence, CN has developed a software application for track maintenance employees that uses the hi-rail vehicle’s global positioning system location to provide audible alerts within the cab of the vehicle as it approaches its limits of authority. CN continues to equip its hi-rail vehicle fleet with the new software.

See the investigation page for more information.