Officials say 3 dead in Canadian train derailment

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-26-21-22-45

BURLINGTON, Ontario (AP) -- A Canadian Via Rail passenger train derailed west of Toronto Sunday, killing three railroad employees and injuring dozens of passengers, officials said.

Via Rail spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche said the three people killed were all engineers riding in the cab of the locomotive at the front of the train when it derailed in Burlington, Ontario. A fourth Via worker in the locomotive was injured, she said.

Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring also confirmed that three people died in the accident.

Lamarche said no passengers died but 45 were injured. She said 75 people were on board the train traveling from Niagara Falls to Toronto when the train left the tracks around 3:30 p.m. Sunday within view of a residential area near Aldershot station.

More at link....
 
Too early to speculate on Canada rail crash cause

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-26-21-22-45

TORONTO (AP) -- Officials recovered the data recorder Monday from a train that crashed into a building west of Toronto killing three engineers but said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the accident.

Transportation Safety Board investigator Tom Griffith said investigators were still looking into the cause of the Via Rail accident that also injured 45 of the 75 passengers on board Sunday.
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VIA Rail spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche said Peter Snarr, 52, and Ken Simmonds, 56, were both veteran locomotive engineers with more than 30 years of service with CN and VIA. Patrick Robinson, 40, the third engineer was a new employee who the company said was onboard observing as part of his familiarization program.

More at link...
 
Via train derailment: Excessive speed caused VIA derailment that killed 3, investigators say

http://www.thestar.com/news/transpo...ia-derailment-that-killed-3-investigators-say








Investigators say excessive high speed caused a deadly train derailment west of Toronto that killed three engineers and injured 45 passengers.

The Transportation Safety Board says the train was travelling at 67 mph when it derailed while switching tracks west of Toronto on Sunday.

The speed limit while changing tracks is 15 mph — meaning the train was going more than four times faster than it should have been.

Investigators say the train's black box also shows the brakes were not applied before the crash.
 
Thanks for the articles Reader and Valleyboy. I take the VIA daily to commute to work, and it is very sad to pass the accident site. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased at this time.
 
Via train derailment: Excessive speed caused VIA derailment that killed 3, investigators say

http://www.thestar.com/news/transpo...ia-derailment-that-killed-3-investigators-say








Investigators say excessive high speed caused a deadly train derailment west of Toronto that killed three engineers and injured 45 passengers.

The Transportation Safety Board says the train was travelling at 67 mph when it derailed while switching tracks west of Toronto on Sunday.

The speed limit while changing tracks is 15 mph — meaning the train was going more than four times faster than it should have been.

Investigators say the train's black box also shows the brakes were not applied before the crash.

My heavens! what were they thinking or doing to be going 4 times the speed limit and not even try to use the brakes? Nobody can ask them now but it's hard to imagine that 3 engineers working together were this derelict in their duty...
 
My heavens! what were they thinking or doing to be going 4 times the speed limit and not even try to use the brakes? Nobody can ask them now but it's hard to imagine that 3 engineers working together were this derelict in their duty...

I have a hard time believing it to be honest. I understand there was a crew working on the tracks further down the line, and that's why the train was crossing tracks, though with a trainee on board, you would think the other two extremely experienced engineers would have been instructing him on the signals, decreasing speed, etc. I also understand that the trainee had been an engineer on the CN freight trains for a long time also, so he would be somewhat comfortable with what to do when crossing tracks. I think there is more to the story than what VIA Rail is saying to avoid losing the class action suit that is on it's way. JMO

Ultimately, it's very sad that three men were killed and a large number of passengers injured.
 

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