CANADA: Canadian National has created fire-fighting trains named ‘Trident’ and ‘Neptune’ which are designed to enable a significant amount of water and fire suppression capacity to reach isolated areas.
The two trains are in addition to ‘Poseidon’, which was developed as a proof-of-concept.
All three will be used by specially trained employees and contractors to fight wildfires along CN’s routes.
The railway company said extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and duration, and it recognises the critical importance of proactive measures to safeguard supply chains.
‘Poseidon’ is a flat wagon with two 16 000 litre tanks, three water pumps, fire hoses, and a diesel-electric generator. It operates with two tank wagons each with a capacity of nearly 95 000 litres, and can deploy water, foam and fire retardant.
‘Trident’ and ‘Neptune’ feature improvements including additional 360° cameras at each end, a separate 20 ft container to hold pumps, hoses and generators and a 40 ft container with a crow’s nest with two additional water cannons.
‘Our priority is to maintain the integrity of the supply chain so that we can continue to serve our customers and power the economy’, said Assistant Vice-President, Safety, Matthew McClaren, on May 29. ‘By deploying these new fire-fighting railcars, we’re not only reinforcing our commitment to securing the supply chain, but also helping to support the safety and security of our neighbours in communities along our network.’
