The Railway Safety Act (RSA) was implemented in 1989. A mandated review of the Act was carried out in 1994 and subsequent amendments were made in 1999, including a requirement for railways to implement a safety management system (SMS). The railway companies each undertook responsibility for developing and implementing a SMS and the regulator undertook responsibility for performance-based auditing of a company's SMS.
For several years following these regulatory and industry changes the number of railway accidents in Canada declined. However, between 2002 and 2005, the number of railway accidents (excluding crossing and trespassing accidents) increased, including high profile accidents in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.
In response to these accidents, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities initiated the Railway Safety Act Review in December 2006. The aim of the Review was to identify gaps in the Railway Safety Act and to make recommendations to improve regulations. The members of the Panel were appointed in February 2007 and the review was conducted throughout the remainder of 2007.
The final report of the Advisory Panel was released to the public on March 7, 2008 with 56 recommendations. Six working groups, comprised of representatives from Transport Canada, industry and unions, have since been established under the guidance of a Steering Committee and an overall Advisory Council on Railway Safety to address how to implement the recommendations.
CN was a full and active participant in the Review. Senior company officers attended meetings across the country. The Company also made a number of written submissions to the Review Panel.
CN representatives are actively participating in each of the six working groups that are addressing the recommendations from the Railway Safety Act Review. The working groups continue to make great progress in addressing the recommendations assigned to them.
To help ensure public transparency with the process, Transport Canada has set up a section of its web site where information on the process, the working groups and minutes of meetings of the Advisory Council on Railway Safety (ACRS) are provided. This can be accessed at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/railsafety/rsar.htm