Transport Canada tightens rail safety regulations in Lac-MÃ©gantic aftermath

New requirements for hand brakes and other safety devices to ensure parked trains stay put are among the changes Transport Canada will enforce in response to the devastating 2013 rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced Wednesday that her department is recruiting 10 additional inspectors to do more audits and provide more information to municipalities about the rail cargo moving through their communities.

"Building a safety culture is a shared responsibility," Raitt told reporters. "Lac-Mégantic is a case where the rules were not followed."

"This past year has been difficult for everyone involved," the minister said, acknowledging the hard work of not only her department but also the town's mayor and other officials.

In August, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said Transport Canada took seriously the Transportation Safety Board's final recommendations on the 2013 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic. (Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press)

The department is investing in new research on dangerous cargo such as the crude oil that exploded in tanker cars in Lac-Mégantic and launching a targeted inspection campaign to check how hazardous goods are classified and reported.

Certain railways, including short lines and smaller companies will also now submit employee training plans to Transport Canada for review. An audit blitz is planned to determine specific training gaps at these shippers.

The Transportation Safety Board's final report found a "weak safety culture" at the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic railroad, which "did not have a functioning safety management system to manage risks."

The investigator's final recommendations fingered a failure of hand brakes to secure the train on the night it rolled away and crashed into the heart of the community's downtown before exploding and killing 47 people.

MMA had gaps in training, employee monitoring and maintenance practices, the final report said.

The TSB report also found that Transport Canada did not audit MMA often and thoroughly enough to ensure safety procedures were being followed.

Raitt's department issued an emergency directive immediately after the crash with new requirements for securing unattended trains.

Part of Wednesday's announcement was an additional directive implementing minimum requirements for hand brakes and other physical defences, backed up by a ministerial order to ensure the directive becomes permanent.

In April 2014, the government responded to initial recommendations from the TSB by removing the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tanker cars from circulation. At the time, it also required the industry to do more route planning and make sure emergency response plans are in place for the transportation of high-risk hydrocarbons like petroleum products.

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