CN confirms spilled tankers in Sask. derailment were older models

CN Rail has confirmed the two tankers that leaked and sparked a fire during the derailment near Clair were the older models.

On Tuesday, 26 of a train’s 100 cars derailed including six carrying dangerous goods. Two cars carrying petroleum distillates leaked, causing the fire which forced the temporary evacuation of the town of Clair.
 
“The two cars that spilled that spilled the petroleum distillate were the older model DOT-111, that has been confirmed,” CN director of public relations, Jim Feeny said, adding the tankers are owned by shippers or leasing companies and not CN.

Feeny would not say which companies owned the tankers.

Following the Lac-Megantic derailment in July, 2013, the Transportation Safety Board recommended rail companies phase out the old oil tanker cars to improve safety.

Feeny said CN has removed its own old models but because other companies across North America own thousands of them, they will take a while to phase out.
 
He said CN has has an ongoing dialogue with the companies over the past year to encourage phasing out the older model oil tankers.
 
“We are required under federal law, under common carrier obligations, to accept those cars onto our lines so long as they are compliant with industry and government standards. These cars are,” he said.

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On Wednesday Feeny would not confirm if the cars were the older models.

“When I was asked about this earlier in the week, I deferred on the basis of the investigation is underway, that all factors related to the investigation were being considered but I was not going to comment on it piecemeal,” he said.

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