CP received two awards for outstanding safety leadership in 2018
Locomotive Engineer Training Simulation Program and the classroom version of its Simulation Training for Conductors initiative
"Developing People and Operating Safely are two of the five foundations by which CP does business," said Dave Freeborn, CP's Director of Technical Training. "By designing simulation that realistically recreates the conditions that our locomotive engineers and conductors will encounter in the field, we ultimately ensure that they can succeed once they're put in control of an actual train. That success benefits the employees and the company, and makes the railroad operating environment safer for all Canadians."
Using these simulators, trainees experience operating a locomotive on CP routes across North America. The simulation system presents trainees with various real-life operating scenarios, which they must master before they enter the field, and scores them on their train-handling performance. The development of these initiatives has resulted in more efficient on-the-job training at CP.
Predictive Wayside Detection – Bearings initiative
"Customers depend on us to deliver their products safely and reliably," said Kyle Mulligan, CP's Chief Mechanical Officer. "Through improved analysis of data from existing technology, we were able to raise the bar on both measures. It's an exciting time in the industry, and I look forward to seeing what we can do next to leverage technology to get continuously better at what we do."
To mitigate safety risks associated with railcar roller bearing failures, railways use wayside detectors to collect data about the state (temperature, vibration) of bearings on passing trains. While these data-acquisition systems are common within the North American rail industry, CP is the first railway to combine the information and develop a predictive model. This state-of-the-art technology allows CP to identify deteriorating bearings three months prior to failure and proactively remove railcars from service. Since implementing the model, CP has reduced in-transit bearing failures by 96 per cent.