Canadian safety board says company involved in oil train disaster had weak safety culture

TORONTO – Canada's Transportation Safety Board says in a new report that many factors led to a oil train explosion that killed 47 people in Quebec last year, including the weak safety culture of a now-defunct railway company.

TSB chair Wendy Tadros cited 18 factors Tuesday including a rail company that cut corners.

The report comes 13 months after a runaway train carrying 72 carloads of oil from North Dakota derailed, hurtled down an incline and slammed into downtown Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Several train cars exploded and 40 buildings were leveled, including a popular bar that was filled with revelers enjoying a summer Friday night. The unattended train had been parked overnight on a rail line before it came loose.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railways went bankrupt after the disaster.