As of Feb. 1, 2021, the Transportation Safety Board investigation into the Field derailment that left three dead has moved into the report phase.
This is the final phase of a TSB investigation.
Once completed, the draft report will be circulated to designated reviewers on a confidential basis for comment, to ensure factual and technical accuracy.
The comments submitted will be considered during the preparation of the final report.
A designated reviewer may be any person – including a company, corporation, manufacturer – who, in the opinion of the board, will contribute to the completeness and accuracy of the report, according the TSB.
The board considers all the designated reviewers’ comments and amends the report as required.
Once the board approves the final report, it is released to the public on the TSB website and through traditional and social media.
“The TSB publishes its investigation reports as quickly as possible, but it takes the time it needs to conduct a thorough investigation and produce a report that advances safety and meets the expectations of the Canadian public and the transportation industry,” reads the TSB website.
The investigation has already completed the examination and analysis phase.
It has established a rough timeline and list of facts based on its information-gathering work.
The investigation has established that a relief crew had just arrived and boarded the train, but were not yet ready to depart, when the train began to move on its own.
The train had been stopped on the grade with the air brakes applied in emergency for about three hours when a loss of control occurred.
The train accelerated beyond the authorized maximum track speed of 15 mph to a speed in excess of 51 mph when it derailed. The data from the locomotive event recorder on the lead locomotive could not be retrieved because the data recorder and the locomotive were severely damaged in the derailment.
A full list of facts and information determined by the investigation can be found on the TSB’s website.
