Runaway Quebec Train's Owner Battled Safety Issues [View all]

[cali]

The operator of the runaway train that derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, this weekend recorded an accident rate far higher than the U.S. average over the past 10 years, federal data show.

Rail World is controlled by a Chicago-area railroad veteran, Edward Burkhardt, who has put together an empire of small railroads around the world. Mr. Burkhardt, Rail World's chairman and chief executive, has spent a lifetime in the industry, earning the respect of many fellow rail executives.

But the 74-year-old Yale graduate has also faced criticism for a bitter battle with one of his boards and for championing the controversial use of remote-controlled trains in rail yards and one-person crews. The deadly Quebec derailment has put MM&A's safety record under a microscope.

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But measured by accidents and incidents per million miles traveled, MM&A has a much higher rate than the national average, federal data show. In 2012, for example, the company's rate was 36.1 occurrences per million miles, while the national average was 14.6. Between 2003 and 2011, the company's rate ranged between 23.4 and 56 incidents per million miles, while the national average ranged between 15.9 and 19.3.

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But some former workers have criticized Mr. Burkhardt for being a proponent of single-engineer-operated trains and so-called radio-controlled trains, in which trains are controlled remotely in train yards. Mr. Burkhardt said that in a modern engine there is no role for a second person and that remote control improves safety in yards.

Such practices are increasingly common in the industry, particularly in Europe and New Zealand. In North America, though, most train operators still use two staff, including Canada's two largest, Canadian National Railway Ltd. CNR.T -0.71% and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. CP.T -0.41%

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