Transportation Safety Board may probe June 13 train derailment near Sudbury

Nickel Belt MPP Frances Gelinas says another derailment near Sudbury last weekend shows train safety is a growing problem.

Gelinas says the Transportation Safety Board has a responsibility to oversee investigations of all derailed trains.

On June 13, a train west of Sudbury lost 15 of its rail cars, which spilled its loads of steel coils. No one was injured.

The TSB says in situations where no one is harmed and there's no major damage, it's usually up to the private rail company to investigate.

But Gelinas said the TSB should oversee these investigations as well. She fears that otherwise, the rail companies won't be held accountable.

"They're a lot longer, they seem to go faster, and there's a whole lot more of them. We don't see more maintenance than we used to see before," Gelinas said.

"There is no way of verifying that they will be transparent with us."

On the weekend, the Transportation Safety Board said it would not be investigating Saturday's derailment; however a spokesperson for the organization now says the board is reconsidering, after the provincial Ministry of Transportation asked the agency to have a look.

"This is not an individual occurrance," Gelinas said.

"This is a pattern of derailment that we have in northeastern Ontario that is warrant of investigation."

Railway owner Genesee and Wyoming won't say how long the investigation will take or what's involved.

"I can tell you that safety is priority number one," spokesperson Manon Beauchemin said.

In 2011 the rail company threatened to close the Huron Central Railway due to deteriorating track conditions.

The federal and provincial government provided $30 million in funding to repair the tracks.