The investigator in charge of the probe into Sunday's Burlington, Ont. fatal derailment said the Via Rail train was going more than four times the speed limit at the time of the crash, and that the brakes weren't applied.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigator Tom Griffith said the train was accelerating at the time of the crash, travelling at 108 km/h as it changed tracks. The speed limit for that procedure is 24 km/h.
"We need to figure out why," Griffith told a Vaughan, Ont. news conference. We need to understand the environment in which the crew was operating and why they made the decisions they did."
The revelation prompted calls from the New Democrats Thursday for an automated system that would slow trains down at track switches and mandatory voice recorders inside train locomotives.
Three locomotive engineers, including a trainee, were killed in the crash, and 45 passengers were injured.
The Toronto-bound train's black box revealed that brakes were not applied before the crash, although it was unclear whether that was due to human or mechanical failure.
The black box -- a data recording device that tracks the vehicle's speed, and usage of brakes and whistles -- has been central to the investigators findings so far. But without an onboard voice recorder to determine what the engineers were saying at the time of the crash, the investigators are missing an important piece of the puzzle, said Griffith.
"We are urging Transport Canada and the railway industry to make sure that voice recorders are installed on all Canadian trains," he said. "Currently they can only be found on aircraft and ships in Canada, not trains."
NDP MP Olivia Chow, the opposition's transportation critic, said the TSB has been calling for voice recorders on trains since 2003. She accused the federal government of inaction on the issue.
She said automated monitoring systems that track trains and slow them down when necessary have been used in the United States for years.
CN owns the tracks used by Via trains, and has said there was no sign of deterioration on those in use by the derailed vehicle. Police have ruled out pressing criminal charges.
Sunday's derailment flipped the train's engine and one car onto their sides and into a building. Investigators have said the three engineers inside the locomotive had no chance of survival.
A class-action lawsuit has been launched on behalf of the passengers, seeking $10-million in compensation from Via Rail and the Canadian National Railway for "physical and emotional injuries, loss of income and medical expenses."
Griffith asked for the public's understanding, saying that his work would take time, but promised his team would immediately communicate any safety deficiencies they come across.
While trains are expected to comply with designated speed limits, there is currently no monitoring system on Canadian trains ensuring they do so.
"They rely on the… crew," said Griffith, in a later interview with CTV News Channel, adding, "CN Rail and VIA will do radar checks (occasionally)."
Emile Therien, the former president of the Canada Safety Council, is urging Transport Canada to beef up oversight of the country's trains. He says he'd also like to see the railways install speed limiting technology that would shut down a train that was proceeding unsafely.
"The railroads got to spend the money to implement that type of technology," he said. "The record they have… is deplorable."
A funeral will be held Friday in Cornwall, Ont. for Patrick Robinson, the 40-year-old trainee who was working with two other Via Rail engineers at the time of the crash.
Even though he was new to Via, Robinson had previously worked on freight trains for years.
The other two men killed were Peter Snarr, 52, and Ken Simmonds, 56. Both had more than three decades of experience in the industry.
With files from The Canadian Press
