Via train was switching tracks when it derailed in Burlington
Posted February 27, 2012 6:49 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Investigators confirmed Monday the train that derailed in Burlington was switching tracks when the accident happened, but that routine manoeuvre may not have been a contributing factor in the accident that claimed the lives of three Via Rail engineers.
Via identified the dead engineers as Peter Snarr, 52, and Ken Simmonds, 56, both of Toronto. The two had more than 30 years experience with CN and Via. The third engineer, who was training at the time of the accident, was Patrick Robinson, 40, of Cornwall, Ont.
Our CityNews and 680News reporters were tweeting live from scene. Below are their comments.
Authorities also said Monday that they’ve recovered the train’s black box, which was damaged, but should provide answers to many key questions after the tragedy.
They have a partial download of the event recorder, which will be able to tell them exactly what happened, including what the engineers were doing, the passenger train’s speed, the brake pressure and whether the bell whistle was applied, Tom Griffith of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said.
“The only thing it does not tell us is the voice,” he said. “There is no voice recording on the locomotive.”
The TSB confirmed train No. 92 from Niagara Falls, Ont., bound for Toronto, was switching tracks at the time of the derailment Sunday afternoon but that may not have caused the accident. Griffith said trains make track switches regularly and derailments are rare.
Griffith said the crew that was working on the tracks at the time had nothing to do with the switches.
“They were working on a hot box detector down the way from that. It had nothing to do with the switches involved.”
“As to who was at the controls that’s still under investigation,” Griffith said.
The TSB has a team of eight investigators on site “going through the coaches looking to see if there’s anything on there that came loose that might have added to the injuries,” Griffith said.
It’s not known how long the investigation will take.
The derailment happened around 3:30 p.m. near King and Plains roads, near Highway 403 and the QEW, where all six cars of the train jumped the tracks. The engineers were in the locomotive cab, which turned on its side and struck a building, killing all three men.
The accident happened about 100 metres away from the site of another derailment four years ago when a freight train went off the rails. A faulty wheel was blamed for that incident.
Three people were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. Some of those injuries included a broken back, broken leg and heart attack.
According to Via, 42 other passengers and one crew member were taken to local hospitals. All but nine of them have since been released.
“This is a truly heart-rending situation for all of us at Via. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family members of our employees who died in the line of duty yesterday, and our thoughts and prayers to those passengers who were injured,” Marc Laliberti, Via president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
“Last night, we immediately began to investigate the accident in order to determine the cause or causes, and will continue until we find out what went wrong, and have put in place measures to prevent any such recurrence. We will be offering our full collaboration to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and Transport Canada in their inquiries, and will be working in concert with local authorities and CN, the track owner.”
Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring said the tracks could reopen by the end of Monday.
When asked how he reacted to the news of the accident he said: “I wanted to come here to support our emergency workers.”
“I didn’t want to be in the way. I wanted to be here.”
Via spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche said customers who were supposed to travel through the area affected by the derailment will have to exercise some extra patience on Monday. Trains will be detoured or bus transportation will be provided. Check Via updates here.
If you’re looking for information about a specific passenger, call Via at 1-888-842-6141.
GO Transit warned of possible delays on the Lakeshore West line Monday due to the derailment. No major delays were reported. Trains aren’t servicing the Aldershot station. Check GO updates here.
