Railroad Forums 

  • Oil train disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Québec 07-06-2013

  • Discussion of present-day CM&Q operations, as well as discussion of predecessors Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) and Bangor & Aroostook Railroad (BAR).
Discussion of present-day CM&Q operations, as well as discussion of predecessors Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) and Bangor & Aroostook Railroad (BAR).

Moderator: MEC407

 #1463805  by dowlingm
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. Boylan, I presume that "Harding was sentenced to the sixth-month term, which will be served in the community, according to CBC News" means something resembling probation or suspended sentence and so long as the nose stays clean, he is free to go about his life.
House arrest. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ ... -1.4519119" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Harding's lawyer Charles Shearson said his client is happy to be able to turn the page on another chapter, though he admitted the six months' house arrest to which his client was sentenced will be hard for him psychologically.

"Mr. Harding recognizes it is a fitting sentence and accepts it fully, and given it was a process of negotiation, he has had time to prepare himself for those circumstances."
 #1463807  by Gilbert B Norman
 
From the CBC News article immediately linked by Mr. Dowling:
Several family members of those killed in the disaster have long been calling for top MMA bosses to face justice, and that the men who stood trial weren't the people who needed to be held accountable.
Heaven help Eddie should he venture on to Canadian soil again in this life. If so, may the "Mounties get their man".
 #1467795  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Here is a Fair Use quotation from the material Mr. Backroad immediately linked:
The defunct railway company at the heart of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster will not have to stand trial for criminal negligence causing death, Quebec's Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) has confirmed.

Following the acquittals of three former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA) employees on charges of criminal negligence causing 47 deaths, the DPCP said it no longer believes there is enough evidence to obtain a guilty verdict against MMA, which operated the train.
Yes, a corporation is a "person", but being it adjudged a Bankrupt, what's the purpose?

Obviously, there appear to be extradition constraints to having Eddie and his gang in the gallows (it seems as if it is only our courts that permit a defendant to be unshackled and not in a cage - well aren't we all taught in grade school; innocent unless proven guilty?). But if there weren't, that's where they should be.
 #1472379  by Ken V
 
On Friday May 11 there was a joint announcement by the Quebec provincial and Canada federal governments that funding has been approved to construct a $133 million rail bypass around the town of Lac Mégantic.
Nearly five years after a runaway train laden with crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, killing 47 people and destroying a large part of the city’s core, the federal and provincial government announced plans Friday for a railway bypass that will go around the Quebec municipality.
More details are available at http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2018/05/11/lac- ... vernments/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1472562  by BostonUrbEx
 
In the US, yes, they would be compensated "fairly" (quote marks because some people place more value on their property than the market would bare). Can someone explain if Canadian eminent domain works similarly?

What jumps out in my mind is I wonder how many communities could have been protected by a PTC system for the cost of one town's bypass?
 #1472616  by dowlingm
 
Any takings will be compensated. However, sometimes the money is not the whole of the matter if a working farm (for example) is divided in two - there will issues of moving livestock and/or machinery from one part to the other either with crossings or a grade separation.
 #1472620  by Gilbert B Norman
 
BostonUrbEx wrote:What jumps out in my mind is I wonder how many communities could have been protected by a PTC system for the cost of one town's bypass?
Mr. UrbEx, considering the "rolling scrap line" of locomotives, and the violation of already weak tie down Rules, the presence or absence of PTC is a "non-factor" with this incident.
 #1472840  by BostonUrbEx
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote:
BostonUrbEx wrote:What jumps out in my mind is I wonder how many communities could have been protected by a PTC system for the cost of one town's bypass?
Mr. UrbEx, considering the "rolling scrap line" of locomotives, and the violation of already weak tie down Rules, the presence or absence of PTC is a "non-factor" with this incident.
Just because it wouldn't have prevented that particular incident, does not mean it would not prevent an incident of similar magnitude. The point still stands.
 #1472845  by ExCon90
 
It's still worth remembering that PTC isn't a cure-all -- there will still be mishaps that PTC can't be designed to prevent. There's a fair amount of comment going around --particularly among politicians -- indicating a belief that once PTC is everywhere there will be no more accidents.
 #1479537  by MEC407
 
The PBS series "NOVA" did an episode called "Why Trains Crash" and it includes a solid 10 minutes or so about the Lac-Mégantic disaster. It's currently available on Netflix and DVD.
 #1480319  by BandA
 
trainsinmaine wrote:47 people died in this horrible disaster and the landowners are whining about land seizure? One would assume they're going to be adequately compensated.
Probably not. Bet they can't buy similar quantity/quality of land in the same town for the money they get. But that's just the cynic in me.

Seems like money would be better spent insuring that railroads follow good safety practices and better handling of haz-mat rather than fixing one curve in one downtown. Besides this horrible crash, how many other crashes occurred in Lac Megantic over the previous 100 or so years?
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