Canada’s capital of Ottawa is proposing long-awaited new standards for rail cars carrying crude oil in a bid to limit a rash of fiery derailments across the country.
Transport Canada unveiled a proposal Wednesday that would require tank cars used to haul crude oil and other flammable goods to meet new standards that include thicker steel, thermal protection, full shields at each end and more protection over the valves by 2025 at the latest. The changes are meant to help the cars better withstand a derailment and collision while limiting the amount of crude that can spill and ignite. The proposal comes after a string of recent oil train derailments, including two recent incidents in Northern Ontario. In addition, the government required the industry to begin phasing out older-model DOT-111 tank cars – such as those involved in the Lac-Mégantic disaster – and replace them with the comparatively stronger CPC-1232 model.
The latest proposal require shippers to upgrade the tank cars once again, this time replacing the CPC-1232 cars with yet another standard, which the government is calling TC-117. The latest standard would apply to all trains hauling flammable goods, including crude oil, by 2025. Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway said they welcomed the new proposal, and the Railway Association of Canada said the tougher standards will make it safer to move dangerous goods by rail.