Canada tightens crude tank car retrofit deadline

OREANDA-NEWS. August 01, 2016. Canada has accelerated its crude-by-rail tank car retrofitting programme, mandating that around 28,000 tank cars be taken out of service eight months early, by 1 November.

The rulings were set into motion following the deaths of 47 people after a train derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, in 2013. An investigation into the accident suggested the DOT-111 cars were prone to puncturing during derailments. Canadian rail exports were at 109,000 b/d in April, but could double by 2017.

The move puts Canada ahead of the US in tightening its safety rules around shipping crude by rail. Under US regulations, DOT-111 cars will be allowed to carry crude rated as highly dangerous until early 2018, and crude rated less dangerous as late as May 2023.