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Articles on Trains

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Disasters affect all, human and non-human alike. It is imperative that we consider the harms to non-human life and ecosystems as both a moral obligation and a realistic effort to preserve the ecosystem services upon which we all rely. (Jesse Brothers/Sioux City Journal via AP)

Why we must address the interconnected harms to people, animals and ecosystems in train derailments

Focusing solely on humans at the expense of other life in the aftermath of train derailments limits the effectiveness of our disaster response management.
Smoke rises from destroyed railway cars that were carrying crude oil after derailing in downtown Lac-Mégantic, Que., the day after the derailment and explosion killed 47 people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

On the 10th anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, what’s changed?

Lac-Mégantic haunts rail transportation in North America. Here’s a look at how little has changed when it comes to rail safety since the disaster in rural Québec10 years ago.
Smoke rises from railway cars that were carrying crude oil after derailing in Lac-Mégantic, Que., in 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Rail accidents: Public safety and accountability suffer because of deregulation

The recent rail accident in Ohio is raising questions about who should be responsible for the aftermath of derailments. Residents impacted by a 10-year-old rail tragedy in Canada still want answers.
A trooper checks the tire of a truck carrying flammable contents during a random hazmat checkpoint in Colorado. Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Train derailments get more headlines, but truck crashes involving hazardous chemicals are more frequent and deadly in US

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is looking into new rules for trains. Trucks, however, are involved in thousands more hazmat incidents every year in the US.
A deadly train derailment that killed three workers is shown near Field, B.C., in February 2019. Railways have their own police forces that place them in a conflict of interest when they investigate their employers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Why major Canadian railways must no longer be permitted to police themselves

The federal government must implement a railway policing law that helps restore public confidence in law enforcement and provides justice to the families of those who die on the job.
A policy decision to allow the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway — a company with a poor safety record – to run its trains through a town in Québec with single person crews resulted the fourth deadliest railway disaster in Canadian history in 2013. Eight years later, Transport Canada is still suffering from safety issues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

To prevent disasters like Lac-Mégantic, private interests cannot be allowed to affect regulations

Industries have blocked or delayed new regulations and pushed to remove or dilute existing regulations by framing regulations as detrimental to creating jobs and wealth.

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