The Transportation Safety Board of Canada blames poor track maintenance and untrained inspectors at Ontario Northland Railway for last year's 29-car derailment in Temagami that spilled sulphuric acid into a nearby river. About 386,000 litres of acid spilled from fittings sheared off when the cars rolled down an embankment. A massive cleanup effort was undertaken to clean up about 35,000 litres that seeped into Martin Creek and Hornet Lake. In a 21-page report, the safety board did acknowledge the improvements instituted by the railway since the spill, including adding new technology to test-track gauges and ultrasonic tests for defects in the rail. The ONR has also replaced more than 100,000 ties since the accident and introduced a training program for track maintenance inspectors and personnel.
