Canada Launches Grade Crossing, Rail Trespassing Initiatives

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating the country’s higher rate of highway-rail grade crossing accidents during the winter months, while Transport Canada has increased fines for rail trespassing and for “not giving way” at crossings.

On June 23, TSB reported that it started Safety Issue Investigation (SII) R20H0082 in May after finding that the average rate of crossing accidents increases by about 61% during the winter months. SII will compare the “factors contributing to level-crossing accidents that happen in non-vacation winter months (January and February) with those contributing to accidents that take place in non-vacation non-winter months (May, June, and September).” The agency will also look into other contributing factors, including human, environmental, or crossing- or roadway-related.

Investigators will interview drivers and eyewitnesses to recent level-crossing accidents to document “firsthand accounts,” which TSB said would be compiled and compared statistically with data from other sources to “identify and better understand the underlying causal factors to these occurrences.”

SIIs, which may include recommendations, are generally completed within two years, according to TSB. Christina (Missy) Rudin-Brown is the investigator-in-charge.

According to TSB, approximately 23 people are killed and another 28 seriously injured each year at grade crossings in Canada. In 2019, 29% of crossing accidents resulted in fatalities or serious injuries.

Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra

Also on June 23, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced that the fine for rail trespassing has increased from $100 to $500, and for not giving way at crossings has increased from $150 to $750.

“Increased incidents of trespassing and interfering with the safe operation of the railway system provide sufficient evidence that the original amounts of the fines were not significant enough to deter these dangerous actions,” according to Transport Canada, which noted that TSB reported 39 trespassing fatalities in 2020.

“By introducing new measures, such as increases in fines, we are helping to reduce the number of accidents and incidents on Canada’s rail lines and over 20,000 federally regulated crossings,” Alghabra said.

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