The 2010 Spring edition of the RAC’s quarterly magazine Interchange is now available.

Click here to see the digital version of Interchange.

As of today, Career on Track is making it even easier for you to learn about the wide variety of opportunities available with Canada’s Railways.  Now you can subscribe to the Current Railway Opportunities RSS Feed to be notified when changes are made - simply click on the orange button on the bottom of the page.  Look for changes to our e-newsletter, Signal, coming within the next few weeks.

The Railway Association of Canada marked the 90th anniversary of its founding on Dec. 1. Its predecessors, the Canadian Railway Association for National Defence and the Canadian Railway War Board, were created in the fall of 1917 to expedite the flow of freight cars back from the United States to help the Canadian war effort during the first world war. “The concept worked exceptionally well, and the volunteer, national board continued to coordinate related industrial activities after the war,” said Cliff Mackay, the RAC’s President and CEO. Today, the RAC represents 54 freight and passenger railways, which move 75 per cent of surface freight and transport 72 million passengers by rail annually, and 40 associate members.

VIA Rail Canada and CN have won the Railway Association of Canada’s 2009 environmental awards for passenger and freight railways in the country. GO Transit and Canadian Pacific won the industry’s safety awards, and short line operator Central Manitoba Railway received an honorable mention. The awards were presented during the RAC’s annual general meeting, trade show and research conference in Calgary.

Cliff Mackay, President and CEO of the association, said: “The awards program encourages excellence in employee performance and shares best work practices throughout society.” The RAC represents some 50 freight and passenger railways in Canada and encourages workers to adopt safe, environmental practices and operational techniques.

CN’s award, in the freight category, was presented for their development of a greenhouse gas modal shift protocol that helps assess the benefits of shifting freight transportation from truck to rail. The protocol was recently approved for use in the Alberta GHG Offset System and is being converted for submission to the federal system.

VIA was recognized for their initiative in creating Enviro Expo awards for Canadian high school students, in cooperation with Youth Science Canada, VIA employees, teachers and the public. The program participated in 100 regional science fairs across Canada last year -- a 22 per cent increase -- and involved more than 20,000 young people. VIA’s 11 Green Teams championed the effort, and VIA employees participated as judges, presenters and information providers. There were gold, silver and bronze medal winners in each age category, honorable mention certificates and three $10,000 scholarships for the gold medal winners.

In the public-private sector, GO Transit partnered with the Mikey Network and the Toronto EMS Cardiac Safe City program, to win in the RAC’s passenger safety category. They successfully installed 100 public-access defibrillators across the commuter system’s coaches and stations. Trained personnel on board and station attendants can also use the units. They can increase the chance of surviving a heart attack by up to 50 per cent.

CP’s new Customer Safety handbook won the industry’s safety award for freight railways. The handbook has been completely revised, reorganized and updated with current railway health, safety, security and environmental information.

There has been a 64 per cent reduction in third party caused train accidents on customer track since the handbook was first issued. CP and their customers currently focus on key common interests of restricted clearances, track maintenance procedures and proper handling of railway equipment.

Central Manitoba Railway, a short line, received an honorable mention for their week of emergency preparedness activities that increased employee skills and awareness, that of emergency responders and other stakeholders in managing safety and emergency incidents. They also conducted a full-blown simulation exercise with heavy railway equipment and an “injured” employee in conjunction with the Springfield Fire and Rescue Services. The open house gave many employees’ families an opportunity to visit their work site.

This fall sees students in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Winnipeg aim to enter the next generation of the railway. While future conductors attending Red River College in Winnipeg will wait until November to begin their program, students at BCIT, SAIT, and George Brown College are already attending classes and preparing for their practical training programs. With keen industry partners like the Central Manitoba Railway in Winnipeg and the Ontario Southland Railway, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in a real railway environment.

If you are interested in learning about these programs, as well as programs offered in other locations, click here.

Operation Lifesaver has re-launched its website with a brand new look and feel. The new site incorporates new material, videos and resources formatted for all ages to help reduce deaths and injuries around freight and passenger trains. The site, at www.operationlifesaver.ca, is “user friendly” and much easier to navigate, said Dan Di Tota, national director of the program.

“It will promote awareness and make it easier for people to find what they’re looking for. Year-to-date and longer term statistics and graphs are easy to find. A new resources section, organized by intended audience, will help teachers, parents and others, find everything they need,” said Mr.  Di Tota. A new events page will highlight upcoming events and recognize individuals and groups, including event stakeholders.  As well, the Home page will include a regular public opinion poll for participants. The former site attracted an average of 240,000 visitors a month.

The Operation Lifesaver program was formed in Canada in 1981 by Transport Canada, the Railway Association of Canada and their partners.  It has reduced highway-railway collisions by 74 per cent and trespassing incidents by 58 per cent since then.

From June 1 to 5, first responders and shippers attended the RAC's Dangerous Goods team "Railway Emergency Response" course at the Justice Institute of British Columbia in Maple Ridge, BC.

30 students from all over Canada and one from the US learned the skills needed to safely and effectively respond to a dangerous goods incident in railway transport.

The program, developed by the RAC DG Team, exposes the students to Incident Command, Site Assessment techniques, tank car valving and damage assessment, leak repair, product characteristics, flaring and transferring.

Adding to the value of the course were the experienced lecturers and guest speakers, not to mention the excellent facilities the Justice Institute which has an actual train derailment, demonstration valve stands and other props that a first responder may find at a rail incident. Students worked in the BC sun with a Rocky Mountain backdrop to conduct site safety and tank car damage assessments leading to product transfers.

CSA Group, today officially launched its 90th anniversary celebrations. CSA Group offices across Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe will be joining in the festivities recognizing nine decades of helping to improve public safety, the environment, the global economy and quality of life.

“At CSA Group, what we do is all about life.  For 90 years, CSA Group has demonstrated vision, leadership, determination and passion for making standards work for people and business in Canada and globally,” says Julia Hill, Chair of the Board, CSA Group. “As we celebrate the 90th anniversary and remarkable achievements by members, employees, clients, and stakeholders, I am confident that CSA Group is well-positioned to develop and apply innovative solutions and new service offerings for decades ahead.”

The centrepiece of the anniversary year is the establishment of the Canadian Standards Association 90th Anniversary Scholarship at George Brown College in Toronto. As CSA’s first standard was in steel railway bridge construction, the scholarship, matched by the Government of Ontario, will be in the college’s Railway Conductor Program.

About CSA Group
CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit membership association serving business, industry, government and consumers. CSA Group consists of three divisions:Canadian Standards Association, a leading solutions based standards organization, providing standards development, application products, training and advisory services; CSA International, which provides testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products; and OnSpeX, a provider of consumer product evaluation, inspection and advisory services for retailers and manufacturers. For more information, visit www.csagroup.org