Weakened rail blamed for 2023 train derailment near Sussex, N.B.

An investigation into a four-car train derailment near Sussex, N.B., last year is pointing the finger at a weakened rail as the culprit.

On Oct. 30, 2023, the last four cars of a 46-car CN freight train travelling westbound to Saint John derailed while crossing a small bridge near Dunsinane, according to a report by the Transportation Board of Canada. There were no injuries or fires during the incident, but roughly 2,000 litres of methanol leaked from the 46th car.

The train had 10 tank cars carrying dangerous goods and weighed 5,115 tons.

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The four cars at the back of the train derailed on the north side of the track. Investigators noted a section of the north rail had broken into multiple pieces at the eastern side of the bridge.

According to the report, the broken section was a 100-pound continuous rail that was manufactured in 1951.

It showed signs of extensive “head checking” (a separation of material close to the rolling surface caused stresses on the rail surface) and a lack of recent “rail grinding” marks, which is a preventative procedure to control surface damage on a rail.

“The extensive head checking on the rail that broke likely contributed to the initiation of the transverse detail defects,” the report reads. “The transverse detail defects in the north rail grew to a point such that the rail failed in overstress, under normal service conditions.

“According to CN records, the last rail grinding program for the Sussex Subdivision was completed on 18 June 2023, approximately (four) months before the derailment. However, due to the risk of fire, grinding on the bridge at Mile 32.7 had not been completed and nor had it been rescheduled prior to the occurrence.”

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