Train company chairman jeered in Lac-Megantic, says engineer to blame

He said he might need to wear a bullet-proof vest during his visit to Lac-Megantic, so at least rail company chairman Edward Burkhardt knew what he was in for.

And while it probably won’t go that far, the head of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway – the company at the heart of the Quebec train explosion – has received a rocky reception from the grief-stricken community left in ashes after last weekend’s disaster.

Burkhardt make his first appearance in Lac-Megantic on Wednesday – five days after the explosion that killed a confirmed 15 people and left 45 others missing. He said the company has had representatives on site ever since the crash on Saturday and that he was of better service in his office.

His visit was met with jeers and insults from a gathering of angry residents, often shouting over Burkhardt as he tried to speak with the media. His late arrival also earned rebuke from Premier Pauline Marois – who took time during an announcement on disaster funding to shoot cold glances in his direction.

“It’s a completely deplorable attitude from the company,” Marois told reporters, according to the Canadian Press. “I understand he doesn’t speak French but he could have gotten someone and been there on-site.”

Burkhardt’s visit to Lac-Megantic came with the announcement that a train engineer had been suspended without pay. He suggested the employee had probably failed to follow safety measures.

He said the employee was being investigated by police and was unlikely to return to work with Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA).

"It is very questionable whether the handbrakes were properly applied on this train. As a matter of fact, I'll say they weren't or else we wouldn't have had this happen," Burkhardt told reporters.

"Personally I am devastated by what happened here…. It is my role to collect this criticism."

The crash occurred early Saturday morning after the 73-car train loaded with crude oil began rolling free from a train yard several kilometres out of town, barreling into Lac-Megantic and derailing.

The company previously said there was proof the train had been tampered with before it broke free, suggesting something happened to cause their air brakes to disengage. Burkhardt told reporters that assessment was based on what their engineer had told them, a statement he says they now consider suspect.

What is known is that firefighters were called to the parked train earlier in the night to douse a blaze in the motor. An official said the train was returned to the authority of an MMA employee after it was cleared. Burkhardt said that employee was a train yard foreman who was not familiar with diesel locomotives.

The Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into what caused the accident. Provincial police have launched their own criminal investigation into what caused the crash.

Burkhardt says the company won’t accept responsibility for the crash until the matter has been fully investigated. He added that he would like to visit the people most affected by the disaster, but added he didn’t think he would receive approval from the mayor’s office.

Want to know what news is brewing in Canada?
Follow @MRCoutts on Twitter