TSB says train started ‘rolling on its own’ before fatal B.C. derailment

FIELD, BC – The Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary investigation into a fatal train derailment on the Alberta-BC boundary is indicating a loss of control.

Investigator James Carmichael says a crew of three had just boarded the train that was parked with its air brakes on early Monday when it started rolling on its own.

Carmichael says the train gained speeds far above the limit for the mountain pass when 99 cars and two locomotives derailed at a curve ahead of a bridge — killing all three of the Calgary-based crew members.

He told a news conference Tuesday that investigators will be trying to determine why the brakes didn’t stay in place.