VANCOUVER - Transport Canada has charged CN Rail for failing to follow the rules on the transport of dangerous goods.
The railway faces seven charges under the Railway Safety Act and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act following routine inspections last week.
The agency alleges the railway didn't comply with federal rules that require trains carrying dangerous goods to carry a list of all railway cars in the train, as well as proper shipping documents for the dangerous goods.
The railway was issued a warning to comply with federal rules on dangerous goods in July 2007.
That warning came a day after a Transportation Safety Board report into an August 2005 derailment.
The Cheakamus River's fish population was virtually wiped out by the spill of 40,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the river, about an hour's drive north of Vancouver.
The spill killed more than 500,000 fish from 10 different species and caused extensive environmental damage.
The Transportation Safety Board found in its final report that the train was set up incorrectly at the yard.
The locomotives moving the train on a slight ascent were improperly configured and the crew running them was not trained properly in their use, the board said.
CN Rail instituted long trains for its runs, but the report found that the company did not use local knowledge and experience in operating those long trains.
CN Rail was charged last year with five counts under the fisheries and environmental acts over the spill.
