Rail regulations in Canada are set by Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency. The 2007 "Railway Safety Act Review" was commissioned by the Minister of Transport and its report provides much-needed background to this article, especially section 4.3. The governance of railways in Canada is complex and has many tiers: Acts of Parliament, Regulations, Rules, and Directives are only some of the instruments that impact this industry.
Contents
Scope
Federal regulations apply only to certain railways which meet one or more of the following conditions:
A railway that is regulated under either of the two last qualifications is considered to be "a work for the general advantage of Canada."
List of 32 Federal Railway Companies
The following is a list of all federal railway companies
Tracks
Transport Canada's Rules Respecting Track Safety apply to all federally regulated railway companies operating on standard gauge track. As a consequence, the narrow gauge White Pass & Yukon Route railway is excluded from these regulations.
Speed
Though Canada uses kilometres per hour on roadways, rail speed limits are set in miles per hour (mph). Tracks are classified and the speed limit is determined by the type. The track class speed limits are nearly identical to the speed limits set by the Federal Railway Administration in the United States.
Special rules
Interswitching
Interswitching by a terminal railway is regulated by the Canadian Transportation Agency. Regulations do not apply where 90% the railway's gross revenue comes from interswitching.
In situations where the regulations apply, terminal railways are required to give equal treatment interswitching traffic and are prohibited from charging for delivery or return of an empty car. They are required to follow a rate schedule set by the CTA.
Railway police
Any superior court judge may appoint a person as a police constable charged with enforcing federal and provincial laws as well as Part 3 of the Canadian Transportation Act in regards to railway property. Section 44 of the Railway Safety Act limits jurisdiction of Railway constables to property owned, used or managed by the railway and the area 500 m (1,600 ft) around it.
Work and Rest Rules
Transport Canada limits the on duty time on a single shift for engineers, conductor and yard workers and all workers involved in switching or operating trains to 12 hours, including those working split shifts. The exception is work train crews, who may work 16 hours. The total maximum over multiple shifts is 18 hours.
To reset the clock, a worker must receive 8 hours off at their home terminal or 6 hours away from home.
Emergencies
During emergencies, defined as unforeseen situations that may cause harm to employees, passengers, the public or the environment such as accidents, derailments, natural disasters and acts of God but not locomotive breakdowns or broken rails, employees may work until relieved subject to fatigue management policies.