Canada’s Transportation Safety Board will this week be releasing its final investigation report into the train derailment in Field three years ago that left three men dead.
Dylan Paradis, engineer Andrew Dockrell and trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer died in the derailment, which happened approximately 50 km east of Golden, on Feb. 4, 2019.
The report is the final phase of the TSB investigation, which began over a year ago on Feb. 1, 2021.
Prior phases of the investigation have revealed that the trio were in the lead locomotive and had just taken over from another crew when the train started moving on its own.
The Transportation Safety Board has said the westbound train had been parked on a grade with its air brakes applied for two hours when it began rolling on its own.
After gaining considerable speed, and with no handbrakes applied, the train eventually derailed at a curve in the tracks ahead of the bridge.
The effectiveness of the No. 1 brake test, which is conducted on trains to ensure they are up to safety regulations to operate, was called into question by the TSB in April 2020.
The train involved in the derailment had received and passed a No. 1 brake test before departing Calgary and heading toward Field.
A review of CP’s Health and Safety Committee hazard notifications revealed multiple instances of crews controlling speed descending the Field Hill in winter operating conditions.
According to these hazard notifications, there were issues with air brake performance on other unit grain trains travelling the same line, all of which had passed the No. 1 brake test.
The RCMP had launched a criminal probe into the derailment in December 2020 after allegations of a coverup at Canadian Pacific Railway.
This week’s latest findings will be presented on Thursday March 31, at 9 a.m., and include panelists Kathy Fox, TSB chair, Dan Holbrook, manager, head office and western regional operations/rail and Paul Treboutat, director, operational services.
