OTTAWA,
Oct. 29, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ -
Claude Mongeau, president and chief
executive officer of CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), said today Canadian
railways have a solid record of improving their overall safety
performance and remain committed to achieving further safety
gains.
Mongeau, speaking to The Canadian Chamber of
Commerce's International Trade Day, said: "The devastating rail
accident in Lac-Mégantic, Que., last summer remains a sobering
reminder that safety must be an absolute priority to prevent
accidents from harming communities and the environment.
"Rail safety is understandably under intense
scrutiny as a result of the Lac-Mégantic accident. But as we engage
in a review of what the rail industry can do to further improve
safety, we should not lose track of the industry's strong safety
record and the significant improvement trends achieved in recent
years. The fact is that railways' mainline accident rate per
million train miles declined by more than 40 per cent between 2001
and 2012 as a result of sizable investments in rail infrastructure,
improved safety processes and a continuing focus on employee
training and safety awareness.
"Another fact to keep in mind is that railways
move hazardous materials with a high level of safety. A full 99.997
per cent of rail movements of dangerous goods - many of which are
essential to the North American economy and communities across the
continent -- arrive at their destination without a release caused
by an accident."
Mongeau said CN and the rail industry are
responding proactively to the Lac-Mégantic accident by taking a
comprehensive view on ways to achieve further safety improvements.
Rail industry partners are also taking steps to ensure safe loading
and unloading procedures, properly identify dangerous goods, and
look at ways to improve tank car safety, he said.
Mongeau said CN understands that communities
have the right to know more about the types of commodities moving
their midst. "CN already works closely with communities by helping
them prepare for and to respond to a possible dangerous goods
transportation incident.
"But we are doing more. We recently launched a
comprehensive outreach program along our network to inform
emergency responders and civic officials about the types of
commodities that are moving through their communities and the
relevance of those commodities to local economies. Our goal is to
be transparent and underscore our commitment to provide emergency
training and support communities in the event of a rail
accident."
Mongeau said regulators can also play a lead
role in determining the future course of rail safety. "The rail
industry is working closely with all regulators. As we move forward
in our review, I believe a fact-based, balanced and consultative
approach to any proposed regulatory changes will be vital to make
sure we make sustainable progress.
"CN's commitment to safety is unwavering, and
we're dedicated to working with all stakeholders who have an
interest in making what already is a solid rail safety record even
stronger."
CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) is a true backbone of
the economy, transporting approximately C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide
range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to
manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network
spanning Canada and mid-America.
CN - Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating
railway subsidiaries -- serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince
Rupert, B.C., Montreal,
Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of
Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., and
Jackson, Miss., with connections
to all points in North America.
For more information on CN, visit the company's website at
www.cn.ca.
SOURCE CN