Enhanced Rail Safety
Transport Canada strengthens railway worker training and certification for increased safety standards
Canada is overhauling its railway safety rules for the first time in nearly four decades. Transport Canada announced that the new Railway Personnel Training and Qualifications Regulations have been published in the Canada Gazette, Part II and will replace rules that have been in place since 1987 Montreal Gazette. The changes come into effect in two years, giving companies until July 2028 to comply.
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said the changes will "help to reduce the risk of workplace injuries, improve the safety of the railway operations, and ultimately reduce rail incidents" County Market. Canada recorded 1,027 rail accidents in 2024, and human factors play a role in roughly one-third of all rail accidents globally.
1987 Rules Left Gaping Holes in Rail Safety
The old Railway Employees Qualification Standards Regulations came into force in March 1987. They were written before remote-control locomotives existed and before crews were significantly reduced in size Chatham Daily News. For nearly 39 years, those rules stayed in place even as the technology and workload on railways changed dramatically.
In June 2016, a remote-control locomotive at CN's MacMillan Yard ran uncontrolled for three miles. The two-person crew was made up of junior employees with limited experience National Post. That incident helped push the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) to issue a formal recommendation in 2018, urging Transport Canada to update its training rules.
Two New Safety-Critical Roles Added to Regulations
The new rules expand the list of positions considered critical for safe railway operations. Remote control locomotive operators and rail traffic controllers will now be formally designated as safety-critical roles Ontario Farmer. That means workers in those jobs must meet the same rigorous training and certification standards as locomotive engineers and conductors.
The regulations also introduce a mentorship rule. Any worker with less than two years of experience must have constant access to a veteran employee The Observer. Railway companies and the Railway Association of Canada have raised concerns that this requirement could complicate scheduling and raise labor costs, especially for smaller short-line operators.
Aviation-Style Crew Training Comes to Canadian Rail
One of the biggest changes is the addition of Crew Resource Management, or CRM, to required training. CRM is a system borrowed from aviation that focuses on teamwork, communication, and situational awareness. The TSB called for it in 2022 after a 2019 train collision in Rivers, Manitoba County Market. Workers must now score at least 80% on all qualification exams.
Safety advocates see CRM as long overdue. TSB Chair Yoan Marier has noted that "relying solely on human performance leaves Canada's railways vulnerable." Analysts say CRM marks a cultural shift — moving rail safety away from individual skill and toward structured teamwork protocols National Post.
Unions Want Government to Take Over Certification
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents about 16,000 rail workers, welcomed the new rules but wants more Chatham Daily News. Union president Paul Boucher has pushed for Transport Canada itself to serve as the certifying body, rather than leaving that job to the railway companies. The union argues that letting railways certify their own workers creates a conflict of interest that can favor productivity over safety.
The industry sees it differently. The Railway Association of Canada, which represents CN, CPKC, and short-line carriers, argued in January 2024 that some proposals "do not account for practical requirements of railway operation" and could actually "increase safety risk" Montreal Gazette. Companies now have two years to build new training programs, update record-keeping systems, and meet the July 2028 deadline.
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