MP Serre applauds Transport Canada recommendation on Gogama oil spill

Marc Serre, the Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt applauds a move by Transport Canada to tap Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway the country's two big rail companies for track information.

In a press release today, Transport Canada said it fully sports recommendations made by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to have the two companies compile more data on rail conditions.

In 2015, the derailment of a CN train spilled crude oil into the waterway near Gogama, prompting the investigation by the board.

• CN Rail to continue oil spill clean-up near Gogama, Ont.
• Gogama train derailments: Questions linger one year later

The investigation revealed that part of the track had been damaged and replaced,but Transport Canada didn't know about it.

"This is what happened in Gogama," Serre said. "It was a broken portion of the track. And this information will be very positive moving forward. It reduces the risks of rail derailments."

Transport Canada says it will use the information from CN and CP rail in its inspections starting in the new year.