EDMONTON,
May 22, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ -
Claude Mongeau, president and chief
executive officer of CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), said today
dangerous goods are an integral part of everyday life and that CN
has an unwavering commitment to moving all traffic safely.
Mongeau, in a speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said CN's
commitment to safe operations is more than a set of principles.
It's evidenced by the more than 50 per cent reduction in CN's
main-track rail accidents per million train miles in Canada between 2003 and 2013, and the fact
that 99.998 per cent of CN movements of dangerous goods arrive at
destination without a release caused by an accident.
Mongeau said CN's safety record flows from
sizable investments in rail infrastructure - the company annually
invests more than C$1 billion to
maintain network safety and integrity - and an intense focus on
employee training and safety awareness, root cause analysis of
accidents, and technological innovation.
"Dangerous goods are an important part of how
all of us live and a major business for us," Mongeau said. "Because
of that, we know we have a clear obligation to transport these
products safely - it's fundamental to the economy and to CN's
social licence to operate its business."
But CN isn't content with the progress it's made
in safety, Mongeau said. Following the Lac-Mégantic accident last
July, CN took a series of steps to further reduce the potential for
accidents, for example, by:
- Strengthening its already-robust train securement
practices;
- Applying the U.S. "OT-55 key train policy" to trains hauling
highly-flammable liquids such as ethanol and crude oil, and
voluntarily extending the policy to its Canadian operations. The
policy includes measures on train dispatching, track inspection and
restrictions on train speeds;
- Stepping up its detection capability to prevent accidents. In
November 2013, CN unveiled a special
program to acquire additional monitoring equipment to enhance its
strong technological base for early detection of defects and
mitigate the severity of accidents, and
- Conducting corridor risk assessments, examining rail line
proximity to urban population and associated infrastructure,
environmentally sensitive areas, and railway operating practices to
develop enhanced safety processes for trains transporting dangerous
goods.
Mongeau said CN has also expressed clear support
for the retrofitting or phase-out of older DOT-111 cars used to
transport flammable liquids and a reinforced standard for new tank
cars built in the future, as well as special operating practices
for the transportation of dangerous goods. CN has also
implemented freight rate changes to encourage customers to acquire
tank cars that meet higher safety standards and begun to phase-out
its small fleet of legacy DOT-111 tank cars used to transport
diesel fuel for its locomotives to yard terminals.
Mongeau said CN, which already has a strong
emergency response plan and significant resources to handle
accidents when they occur, believes that the rail industry can
enhance safety by working more closely with communities. Toward
that end, CN is reaching out to municipalities along its North
American rail network to review its safety practices, share
relevant information on dangerous goods traffic, and discuss
emergency response planning and training.
CN is also urging the implementation of mutual
aid intervention protocols, with the participation of other
carriers and producers of dangerous commodities. This would help
codify emergency response standards and expand response resources
in order to be prepared to handle any future rail incidents
involving dangerous goods.
Mongeau concluded: "The safe transportation of
dangerous goods and all other freight traffic is a social and
business imperative. It's a fundamental principle for CN in its
relationships with communities along its network and central to its
role as a true backbone of the economy."
CN 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