Rail regulations in Canada
Encyclopedia
Rail regulations in Canada are set by Transport Canada
and the Canadian Transportation Agency
.
A railway that is regulated under either of the two last qualifications is considered to be "a work for the general advantage of Canada."
track. As a consequence, the narrow gauge
White Pass & Yukon Route railway is excluded from these regulations.
, rail speed limits are set in miles per hour
(mph).
Tracks are classified and the speed limit is determined by the type. The track class speed limits are nearly identical to the speed limits set by the
Federal Railway Administration in the United States
.
is regulated by the Canadian Transportation Agency
. Regulations do not apply where 90% the railway's gross revenue comes from interswitching.
In situations where the regulations apply, terminal railways are required to give equal treatment interswitching traffic and are prohibited from charging for delivery or return of an empty car. They are required to follow a rate schedule set by the CTA.
judge
may appoint a person as a police constable charged with enforcing federal and provincial laws as well as Part 3 of the Canadian Transportation Act in regards to railway property. Section 44 of the Railway Safety Act limits jurisdiction of Railway constables to property owned, used or managed by the railway and the area 500 m (1,640.4 ft) around it.
Work and Rest Rules
Transport Canada limits the on duty time on a single shift
for engineers, conductor
and yard workers and all workers involved in switching or operating trains to 12 hours, including those working split shifts. The exception is work train
crews, who may work 16 hours. The total maximum over multiple shifts is 18 hours.
To reset the clock, a worker must receive 8 hours off at their home terminal or 6 hours away from home.
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
and the Canadian Transportation Agency
Canadian Transportation Agency
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent administrative tribunal of the Government of Canada that makes decisions relating to federally-regulated modes of transportation...
.
Scope
Federal regulations apply only to certain railways which meet one or more of the following conditions:- They operate in more than one province.
- They operate from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and cross the Canada – United States border. - They are owned, controlled, leased or operated by a person who operates a railway that is within the jurisdiction of parliamentParliament of CanadaThe Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
.
A railway that is regulated under either of the two last qualifications is considered to be "a work for the general advantage of Canada."
List of Federal Railway Companies
The following is a list of all federal railway companies- 6970184 Canada (Great Sandhills RailwayGreat Sandhills RailwayThe Great Sandhills Railway is a Canadian short line railway company operating on trackage in west of Swift Current Saskatchewan, established in 2009. Great Sandhills Railway operates a short-line railways in Saskatchewan on a former Canadian Pacific Railway subdivision...
) - Arnaud Railway Company
- BNSF RailwayBNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
- Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
- Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
- City of OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
(O-Train) - CSX Transportation
- Eastern Maine RailwayNew Brunswick Southern RailwayThe New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
- Essex Terminal RailwayEssex Terminal RailwayEssex Terminal Railway is a Canadian shortline terminal railroad, running from the City of Windsor, Ontario through La Salle, to the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario, for a distance of approximately 21 miles . The ETR has direct connections to Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway...
- Ferroequus Railway (suspended)
- Goderich-Exeter RailwayGoderich-Exeter RailwayThe Goderich–Exeter Railway is a short line freight railway that operates around of track in Southern Ontario. Created in 1992, it was the first short line railway in Canada to be purchased from a class I railway, in this case Canadian National Railway . It took over operation of further CN...
- Great Canadian Railtour (Rocky MountaineerRocky MountaineerRocky Mountaineer is a Canadian tour company offering Western Canadian vacation packages that operates trains on four rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta.-Background:...
) - Hudson Bay RailwayHudson Bay RailwayHudson Bay Railway is a Canadian railway operating over of trackage in northern Manitoba.HBRY was formed in July 1997 to purchase former Canadian National Railway trackage running north from CN trackage at The Pas, MB on two branches, one to Flin Flon, MB and on to Lynn Lake, MB, the other to...
- International Bridge and Terminal Company
- Kelowna Pacific RailwayKelowna Pacific RailwayKelowna Pacific Railway is a shortline railway, formerly a Canadian National Railway line which is now leased by Knighthawk Rail. The KPR’s line runs from Kelowna to Kamloops through the Okanagan Valley. Operations started on 30 January 2000....
- Maine Central RailroadMaine Central RailroadThe Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
- Minnesota, Dakota and Western Railway
- Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
) - Nipissing Central Railway (a portion of the Ontario Northland RailwayOntario Northland RailwayThe Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario....
) - Okanagan Valley RailwayOkanagan Valley RailwayOkanagan Valley Railway is the railway division of Omnitrax, a transportation services company. Tracks run from Vernon to Sicamous and serve five towns en-route. Among the businesses served are forestry, farming, chemicals and cement...
- Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway
- RaiLink Canada (Ottawa Valley RailwayOttawa Valley RailwayOttawa Valley Railway is a Canadian railroad that operates of track in the province of Ontario and Quebec, and is owned by RailAmerica.The railroad began operations on 30 October 1996 under the auspices of RaiLink Canada, and fell under the control of RailAmerica after that company bought RaiLink...
) - St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad
- Springfield Terminal Railway
- Sydney Coal RailwaySydney Coal RailwayThe Sydney Coal Railway is a Canadian short-line railway operating in the eastern part of Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia.SCR operates from the international coaling piers on Sydney Harbour in Sydney to the Lingan Generating Station, a coal-fired electrical generating station near New Waterford...
- Toronto Terminals Railway
- Tshiuetin Rail TransportationTshiuetin Rail TransportationTshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a Canadian short line railway that stretches 134 miles through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril Junction, Labrador with the community of Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary...
- Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
- VIA Rail Canada
- Wabush Lake RailwayWabush Lake RailwayThe Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.The Wabush Lake...
- White Pass & Yukon Route
Tracks
Transport Canada's Rules Respecting Track Safety apply to all federally regulated railway companies operating on standard gaugeStandard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
track. As a consequence, the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
White Pass & Yukon Route railway is excluded from these regulations.
Speed
Though Canada uses the metric systemMetric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
, rail speed limits are set in miles per hour
Miles per hour
Miles per hour is an imperial unit of speed expressing the number of statute miles covered in one hour. It is currently the standard unit used for speed limits, and to express speeds generally, on roads in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is also often used to express the speed of...
(mph).
Tracks are classified and the speed limit is determined by the type. The track class speed limits are nearly identical to the speed limits set by the
Speed limits in the United States (rail)
Rail speed limits in the United States are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Railroads also implement their own limits and enforce speed limits. Speed restrictions are based on a number of factors including curvature, signaling, track condition, the physical condition of a train,...
Federal Railway Administration in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
| Track type | Freight Freight train A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain... | Passenger |
|---|---|---|
| Expected | 10 mph (4.5 m/s) | Forbidden |
| Class 1 | 10 mph (4.5 m/s) | 15 mph (6.7 m/s) |
| Class 2 | 25 mph (11.2 m/s) | 30 mph (13.4 m/s) |
| Class 3 | 40 mph (17.9 m/s) | 60 mph (26.8 m/s) |
| Class 4 | 60 mph (26.8 m/s) | 80 mph (35.8 m/s) |
| Class 5 | 80 mph (35.8 m/s) | 95 mph (42.5 m/s)Trains pulling LRC LRC (train) LRC is a bilingual acronym for Light, Rapid, Comfortable or Léger, Rapide, et Confortable, the name of a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec... cars may travel at 100 mph (44.7 m/s) |
| Class 6 | 110 mph (49.2 m/s) | |
Special rules
- Trains pulling service equipment cars, rolling stock used to transport or house Maintenance of Way equipment or employees may not exceed 35 mph (15.6 m/s).
- Vehicles being used for a visual inspection of tracks may not exceed 5 mph (2.2 m/s) when crossing other tracksLevel junctionIn U.S. railroad practice, a level junction is a railway junction that has a track configuration in which merging or crossing railroad lines provide track connections with each other that require trains to cross over in front of opposing traffic at grade In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction...
, highwaysRoadA road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
or switches.
Interswitching
Interswitching by a terminal railwayTerminal Railway
The Terminal Railway of Buffalo was a part of the New York Central Railroad system southeast of Buffalo, New York. It built the Gardenville Branch or Gardenville Cutoff, allowing through trains to bypass Buffalo...
is regulated by the Canadian Transportation Agency
Canadian Transportation Agency
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent administrative tribunal of the Government of Canada that makes decisions relating to federally-regulated modes of transportation...
. Regulations do not apply where 90% the railway's gross revenue comes from interswitching.
In situations where the regulations apply, terminal railways are required to give equal treatment interswitching traffic and are prohibited from charging for delivery or return of an empty car. They are required to follow a rate schedule set by the CTA.
Railway police
Any superior courtSuperior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
may appoint a person as a police constable charged with enforcing federal and provincial laws as well as Part 3 of the Canadian Transportation Act in regards to railway property. Section 44 of the Railway Safety Act limits jurisdiction of Railway constables to property owned, used or managed by the railway and the area 500 m (1,640.4 ft) around it.
Work and Rest RulesShift workShift work is an employment practice designed to make use of the 24 hours of the clock. The term "shift work" includes both long-term night shifts and work schedules in which employees change or rotate shifts....
Transport Canada limits the on duty time on a single shiftShift
Shift generally means to change . Shift may refer to: * Gear shift, to change gears in a car* Shift work, an employment practice* Shift * Shift , a change of level in music...
for engineers, conductor
Conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:In science:* Electrical conductor, a material allowing the flow of electric current* Electrical conduction, the movement of charged particles through an electrical conductor...
and yard workers and all workers involved in switching or operating trains to 12 hours, including those working split shifts. The exception is work train
Work train
Work train refers to any of a number of rail cars intended for internal non-revenue use by the railroad's operator. Work trains serve functions such as track maintenance, maintenance of way, revenue collection, system cleanup and waste removal, heavy duty hauling, and crew member transport.- Types...
crews, who may work 16 hours. The total maximum over multiple shifts is 18 hours.
To reset the clock, a worker must receive 8 hours off at their home terminal or 6 hours away from home.