Government or official record
Railway Investigation Report R13D0054
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Transportation & maritime · 6 July 2013Open article references →
Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster
Downtown derailment and fire area · Canada
Why editors use it hereDefinitive technical investigation of train securement, runaway, derailment, fire, cargo, oversight, casualties, and safety findings.
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Quick read
Early on 6 July 2013, an unattended freight train carrying crude oil rolled downhill from Nantes, Quebec, and derailed at high speed in downtown Lac-Mégantic.
Reviewed 5 August 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
The engineer parked the train and applied hand brakes but did not perform an adequate independent effectiveness test.
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Uncertainty
The Transportation Safety Board established the technical and organizational sequence in detail.
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Why it matters
Lac-Mégantic demonstrates how a disaster can emerge from many individually survivable weaknesses that align across equipment, operating practice, company culture, cargo regulation, and government oversight.
Reviewed 5 August 2026
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Quick read