Canada to ban rail cars involved in fiery Quebec derailment

MONTREAL – Canada’s transport minister says the rail car model involved in a fiery crash that killed 47 people in Quebec three years ago will no longer be allowed to transport oil in Canada as of Nov. 1.

Marc Garneau said Monday that older tankers, called DOT-111 cars, and a version jacketed with an extra layer of metal to make it stronger will be taken out of service by Nov. 1, 2016.

Garneau says the new directives are for crude oil only.

A runaway freight train pulling 72 crude-oil laden DOT-111s derailed and exploded on July 6, 2013, killing 47 people and flattening downtown Lac-Megantic, Quebec.

Garneau said tankers carrying crude originating from the U.S. that are not up to code will be prohibited from crossing the border.