The investigation into a train derailment near Bassano in July 2022 has been completed. (Photo: Transportation Safety Board of Canada)

By David Opinko

Deteriorating track led to 2022 train derailment in southern Alberta

Jan 23, 2025 | 9:36 AM

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its report on a significant train derailment in the region.

On July 13, 2022, they say a CP Rail train was travelling westward from Brooks when 41 hopper cars carrying grain derailed near Bassano. Thirty-nine of the derailed cars were breached and spilled grain.

No dangerous goods were involved, there was no fire and nobody was injured.

“The investigation determined that the track structure in the vicinity of the derailment was in a deteriorated condition that reduced lateral stability and made it more susceptible to buckling,” says the TSB in its report.

Although work had been done three years prior to mitigate the risk of this happening, investigators believe that persistent compressive forces in the rail had since built up.

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It adds, “The elevated compressive forces in the track, along with the dynamic forces from the moving train, reduced the track’s lateral resistance and caused the track to shift out of alignment and buckle, leading to the derailment.”

The rapid deterioration of the track was due to the introduction of long, heavy unit trains and a “significant increase” in traffic volume in recent years.

There was no documented evidence that CP Rail’s safety management system was applied.

Since the derailment, CP Rail has taken a series of actions in hopes of preventing similar incidents, including undergoing a track renewal program, having engineering managers evaluate the safety of the train route once per month for one year, and increasing track inspection training for supervisors.

The full report can be found on the TSB website.