LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Canada’s Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Chrystia Freeland, issued a statement today to mark the 12th anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic disaster, the derailment and fire involving a runaway, unmanned Montreal, Maine & Atlantic oil train that occurred about 1:14 a.m. on July 6, 2013.
“Twelve years ago, the community of Lac-Mégantic experienced a devastating tragedy. On that day, 47 lives were lost, and a vibrant downtown was devastated by a train derailment that left an indelible mark on the heart of Quebec and all of Canada,” Freeland said in the statement. “On this day of remembrance, we pause in memory of the victims, we offer our thoughts to the survivors, and we salute the courage of an entire community that, year after year, continues to rebuild itself with dignity and resilience.”
Freeland said construction of the Lac-Mégantic bypass, which would move the rail line now owned by CPKC out of the community, “is one of my priorities.
“We are committed to working closely with the local communities until its completion. We have strengthened rail safety rules, modernized our oversight systems, and continued to work with our partners to build a safer, more sustainable, and people-centred transportation system.
“We have learned from the Lac-Mégantic derailment. This tragedy must never be forgotten, because it pushes us to do better, to be more rigorous, and to never accept the unacceptable. We owe our determination to the victims, and our concrete action to the generations to come.”
The 12.5-kilometer (7.8-mile) bypass project was announced in 2018, with the federal government committing to provide 60% of the necessary funding and the province of Quebec the remaining 40%. But the neighboring communities of Nantes and Frontenac, which include part of the bypass as well as the existing route, have fought the project, citing environmental concerns [see “Community withdraws from talks …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 14, 2024]. The lengthy process of land acquisition has also slowed construction; the project timeline indicates completion of the bypass remains more than five years away.
The latest step, public consultation on the environmental evaluation of the route, concluded June 30. That is part of the process leading to an application for construction that must be submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency. The latest Transport Canada newsletter on the project says documents involved will be opened to public comment for 30 working days after the filing, and that the CTA will aim to complete the process within 85 business days.
More on the project is available at this website.
Remember that this horrific railroad disaster is the deadliest rail accident involving a non-passenger train in Canadian history.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Ed Burkhardt should stillbe in jail for running a threadbare MM&A lacking training, staff and maintenance that are the causes of this tragedy. One man crew, only 6 handbrakes set, locomotives with huge oil leaks left on a grade and no MM&A dispatcher or official available to contact by the firemen responding to the flaming locomotive.
The date of the accident in the first paragraph of the article should of course be July 05, 2013…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
I believe July 6th is correct.
* Corrected Comment *
The date of the accident in the first paragraph of the article should of course be July 06, 2013…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün