Government of Canada approves changes to improve railway track inspections

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The Government of Canada is continuing to move ahead with concrete actions which improve railway track safety to better protect those living and working near Canada’s rail corridors.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that Transport Canada has approved another phase of changes to the Rules Respecting Track Safety, which focus on track inspection frequency and the use of automated track inspection technology. These changes are the result of a Ministerial Order that was issued in 2020 to address major risks that could cause derailments due to the condition of railway infrastructure.

As a result of these latest changes, railway companies will be required to:

• increase the frequency of railway track inspections in higher risk areas where trains travel at faster speeds while carrying a greater tonnage of freight;
• follow new procedures governing the use of advanced automated track inspection technology; and
• ensure inspection data clearly identifies the exact date and track mileage of any track inspection so that rail safety inspectors can effectively verify compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Rules Respecting Track Safety specify safety requirements that railway companies must follow when inspecting and maintaining their railway track infrastructure.

Transport Canada continues to work with the railway industry to make our railway system even safer for Canadians.

For more information about the track inspection changes, please follow the links below:

Ministerial Order MO-07

Rules Respecting Track Safety