Canadian Pacific Train Accidents

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) reported 110 train accidents in the U.S. from 2004 through August 2007. To identify the primary cause of those accidents, CP used 64 different codes. Exactly half of the total were main-track accidents. Seventeen of those (30 percent) involved trains traveling at more than 40 mph.

Derailments have accounted for 75 to 80 percent of train accidents at both DM&E and CP since 2004. DM&E, which has used poor track conditions as the sole excuse for its miserable safety record, identified track defects as the primary cause of 53.9 percent of its train accidents since 2004. CP attributed 34.5 percent of its accidents to track defects. 

CP Reports 22 HAZMAT Releases Since 2000

In the U.S. and Canada since 2000, Canadian Pacific has had 21 train accidents that resulted in a release of hazardous materials (HAZMATs), including the 2002 anhydrous ammonia spill in Minot, N.D. Two involved explosions, and two others caused fires. One spill occurred without an accident, when a failed flange gasket caused a tank car to leak anhydrous ammonia.

Two people were killed and 1,100 injured in 14 releases, which prompted nine evacuations of 14,400 people, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). Reports on eight spills in Canada were not available.

In the 13 train accident reports, the average number of cars derailed rose from four cars at less than 10 mph to 17 cars at 25-28 mph to 28 cars at 35-42 mph.

According to FRA records, another six CP train accidents and HAZMAT spills – including a load of bombs –killed one person, injured nine and prompted the evacuation of more than 1,600 people from 1994 to 1999.
 

Click here for an overview of Canadian Pacific's U.S. and Canadian HAZMAT accidents

Click here for a description of CP's U.S. HAZMAT accidents

Click here for a description of CP's Canadian HAZMAT accidents