DEC 01, 2021

2021 AREMA Dr. William W. Hay Award

New heights for CN and our Engineering team

Partnerships for Emergency Preparedness

On August 20, CN led a large-scale emergency response drill near the Bulkley River in Smithers, B.C., simulating a train derailment involving 24 tank cars. While only an exercise, the drill was designed to test the coordination between CN and key stakeholders, including emergency response teams, government regulators, and local First Nations communities.

The two-day event featured both a table-top exercise and an equipment deployment. Over 60 participants collaborated to ensure that in the event of a real incident, response teams are prepared to act swiftly and safely.

Foreman Gary Durbin also mentions that everything was done safely and efficiently for a smooth operation. “Despite all the large equipment around the site like crawler cranes and gantries and many workers, there was little or no train delays associated with the project,” says Gary.

The final cutover to the reconstructed bridge happened, fittingly a few days before Thanksgiving Day. “It was an emotional moment riding on the first train across the new bridge with Chris

Yeroshack (Assistant Chief Regional Engineering - South),” recalls Sandro Scola (Assistant Chief Engineer, Bridges and Structures). “I had worked on the old bridge for almost 21 years and thought of all the history behind the original structure. It was the end of a chapter. Now, we have a new bridge built by CN that is designed to stand for 100 years or more.”