VIA Rail accepts TSB report regarding February 2010 accident

– VIA Rail reiterates its commitment to safety –
– Measures already in place –

Montréal – VIA Rail Canada accepts the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada’s final report, issued today, regarding an accident in Saint Charles de Bellechasse (QC) on February 25, 2010, which said that factors included bad weather conditions and signals that were partially or completely obstructed by snow.

As the TSB report indicated, VIA has already implemented changes to its policies.  Among other measures, medical records for locomotive engineers hired from CN and other companies are now transferred to VIA.  In addition, critical incident workshops were developed and attended by all VIA locomotive engineers.  These have now been integrated into the recertification program for all locomotive engineers.

VIA also noted that the voice recorder project is progressing rapidly.  Passenger safety is VIA’s top priority, and the company supports any measure that could increase safety of its activities. In this regard, VIA will also continue to participate in all discussions pertaining to added security precautions related to Canadian railway signals.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada’s (www.viarail.ca) mandate is to provide safe, efficient, cost effective and environmentally responsible passenger transportation services in the country’s two official languages. Every week, VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500 kilometres route network. Winner of the 2011 RAC Safety Award, VIA transports over four million passengers annually. Since 2007, the Government has invested nearly 1 billion dollars in VIA in order to meet the growing demand and transform Canada’s rail passenger service for the future. To learn more, visit /transformingVIA. Follow VIA on Twitter at twitter.com/via_rail. Visit VIA on Facebook at facebook.com/viarailcanada.

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