Railways System Safety

Original Air Date: Friday, August 17, 2012

The railway opened the Canadian west and now some advocates say it is a safe and economic alternative to pipelines for getting Alberta oil to the coast and on to markets in Asia.

Safety experts question whether the railways’ track record is an improvement on pipelines; others say the flexibility shipping by train allows, doesn’t make economic sense when compared to the quantity a pipeline can move.

Is rail the best bet when it comes to bringing our bitumen to market and what safety and economic challenges or advantages does the railway hold?

Joining us to discuss this is Richard Dixon, Executive Director of the Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment at the University of Alberta; from Ottawa, Emile Therien, Past President with the Canada Safety Council; and from Prince George, Alf Nunweiler, former Train Dispatcher and Minister of Northern Affairs with the Province of BC.