Canadian Pacific (CP) says it is “profoundly disappointed” with Canadian Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt’s public comments regarding an ongoing investigation into an alleged breach in safety rules. “Such comments undermine the reputations of hardworking employees who take pride in their commitment to the safe movement of goods through communities across North America,” the railroad said.
CP said it is cooperating fully with Transport Canada and Canada's Transportation Safety Board in this investigation "and will continue to do so." The investigation involves a 57-car CP freight train that was parked on a grade at Revelstoke, B.C., with allegedly unapplied handbrakes. "No charges have been laid against CP nor have any allegations been proven," the railroad said.
Raitt's comments drew parallels between the CP incident and the 2013 Lac-Mégantic runaway crude oil train wreck that claimed 47 lives.
“We are concerned about accusations and threats made in the media by the Minister of Transport during an ongoing investigation where the facts have not been established,” said E. Hunter Harrison, CP’s CEO. “Furthermore, to suggest that there is any parallel between these allegations and the tragedy of Lac-Mégantic is, at best, unfortunate.”
CP says it "has cultivated a strong safety culture among its employees, a commitment that has made CP the North American leader in train accident prevention for nine straight years. In 2014, CP reported the best accident prevention rate ever achieved by a North American Class I railroad, something all Canadians can take pride in."
CP said it "has also been among the earliest and most vocal advocates for tougher tank-car standards and has considered the Minister an ally in lobbying for speedier implementation and harmonization of standards between Canada and the U.S. CP is also working hard to employ inward-facing locomotive video recorders as a proactive measure to prevent accidents. The government has allowed political sympathies to hobble this effort, but we encourage the Minster to join CP in supporting this important safety initiative.”
“Any insinuation that CP doesn’t take safety seriously or would tolerate a culture that allows employees to cut corners or break rules is deeply disturbing and inappropriate,” Harrison said. “If we make a mistake, we take responsibility and take action to ensure it never happens again.”