Transportation Safety Board urges better wheel checks after rail derailment

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has called for improved inspection protocols for train car wheels following an investigation into a 2023 derailment near Uncas, Alberta. The incident involved a CN Rail grain train bound for Prince Rupert, B.C., which saw 18 cars derail; no injuries were reported.

Investigators determined that a wheel on one car had a shattered rim that deteriorated during transit. Despite meeting existing inspection requirements, the wheel failed, leading the TSB to conclude that current practices may not reliably identify wheels approaching “catastrophic rim failure.”

The TSB recommends that Transport Canada utilize enhanced analytics from wheel impact load detector data to identify and remove failing wheels more effectively. TSB Chair Marier noted that the report aligns with decades of research into broken wheel failures. Transport Canada stated it is committed to rail safety and will provide a formal response to the findings.