TSB report blames distracted crew for 2024 GO train near-collision in Burlington

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its investigation report Wednesday into a near-collision between two GO Transit commuter trains in Burlington, carrying a total of over 400 passengers.

On March 14, 2024, two GO trains avoided a head-on collision by just 549 feet after leaving Aldershot station.

“For more than 25 years, we have been calling on industry and regulators to expedite the implementation of physical fail-safe train control systems and put strong interim measures in place while these systems are being developed and installed,” says TSB Chair Yoan Marier.

The investigation found the crew departing Aldershot station missed the stop signal because they were distracted.

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During departure preparations, the conductor was looking at a tablet and the engineer was fixing equipment. This resulted in them not observing the stop indication and wrongly assuming the track was already clear.

While Transport Canada has cited progress, including proposed regulations targeted for 2026 or 2027 and interim measures, the TSB has assessed the response as unsatisfactory. They noted that meaningful risk reduction is unlikely before 2030.

The TSB says until additional backup safety defences are in place, the risk of accidents resulting from crews not following signal indications will continue.

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