Railway incident reporting

Steps to reporting a railway accident.

Overview

All provincially regulated railways are required to report accidents and incidents to the Railway Administrator as per the Railway (Alberta) Act, Part 3 section 38(1) and Railway Regulation AR 177/2002 Part 3 sections 35 and 36.

All reporting information is reviewed by a Rail Safety Officer and then entered into the confidential rail safety data base and used for future site compliance reviews or to identify trends in the industry.

How to report an incident

Step 1. Submit verbal report

Immediately after an accident, you must verbally report the details to Alberta EDGE (Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies).

Their 24 hour, toll-free number is 1-800-272-9600 or 780-422-9600.

Step 2. Submit Railway Incident Report

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You must provide details of the accident using the Provincial Industrial Railway Reporting form and submit this to the Railway Administrator within 30 days of the incident occurring.

Additionally only a 30 day written report is required for the following:

  • rolling stock damaged without a derailment or collision
  • runaway rolling stock
  • movements exceeding the limits of authority
  • other incidents related to main track facilities and operation

Conditions to report

You must report the following:

  • main track collisions or derailments
  • highway grade crossing collisions
  • accidents involving a trespasser, employee or passenger
  • fire or explosion involving railway property
  • collision between rolling stock and an object
  • non-main track collision or derailments
  • collision involving a track unit
  • collision between rolling stock and an abandoned vehicle and
  • incidents involving dangerous goods require an immediate report under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations

Non-reportable

You do not have to report the following:

  • minor injuries not involving lost time or a visit to a physician
  • minor equipment damage such as paint scrapes

Contact

Connect with Rail Safety via Alberta EDGE:

Phone: 780-422-9600
Toll free: 1-800-272-9600
Email: [email protected]