U.S. railway safety regulators Friday set rules to prevent any future railway disasters in the wake of a deadly rail incident that claimed more than 40 lives in Quebec province of Canada last month.
Under the rules set by the railway safety regulators, rail cars carrying hazardous materials like combustibles are forbidden to be left unattended on main tracks or adjacent tracks without a detailed emergency response plan.
While toughening the rules for securing unattended trains carrying hazardous materials, it also ordered railroads to inspect the trains and certify the safety of hand brakes and emergency response equipment on those trains.
Last Month, a 73-car oil train derailed and exploded in the center of Lac-Mégantic in Quebec, killing 42 people.
Joseph Szabo, head of the Federal Railroad Administration, said that the new rules were a direct response to the disaster that took in Quebec.
"Safety is our top priority," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement.
"While we wait for the full investigation (of the Canadian incident) to conclude, the Department is taking steps today to help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the United States," said the transportation secretary.
The new rules are effective immediately according to the railway safety regulators.
