A broken axle is to blame for a coal train derailment near New Hazelton a year ago.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the axle failure sent 27 cars loaded with thermal coal off the track, spilling some of the load into nearby Mission Creek January 19, 2018.
The TSB says the axle broke on the 52nd freight car of the train due to fatigue cracking in an area between the wheel and wheel bearing.
Investigators say it’s not known what caused the cracking and that such defects are not detectable during routine safety inspections.
The TSB says that without alternate strategies to detect fatigue cracks or predict how likely they are to occur, there is an increased risk for more broken-axle derailments.
