Special Report: Train 668: Investigating three deaths

Dylan Ford spraypaints his tag 'Jays' on the side of a railcar.

MONTREAL - When three teenagers died in October 2010 after being hit by a train, it was clear they should not have been on the tracks under the Turcot Interchange.

Dylan Ford, Mitch Bracken and Ricardo Conesa were ready to spraypaint graffiti on the concrete pillars that support the roadway when they were hit by Train 668, and two friends survived because they were not on the tracks.

Dylan's mother spoke to her son the day before he died, as she headed off to California for her mother's funeral.

"I just basically walked into his room, said goodbye, kissed him, told him I loved him and I'd see him soon," said Jamie Mcallan.

She never saw him alive again, and in the months since, she has been devastated.

"Life will never been the same," said Mcallan.

At the time officials said the young men would never have heard the train.

But it turns out the teenagers may not have been able to see the train either.

Shelly Reddam's son survived the collision, but he is still too traumatized to speak.

"How do you miss five children on a railway track?" said Reddam. "The way you miss them is that you dim your lights."

Accident report says main headlight was dimmed

Via Rail's accident report says that as Train 668 was heading toward Montreal at 105 km/h its main headlight was dimmed.

According to Canadian regulations, a train's main headlight must must be "displayed full power continuously" unless the train is facing oncoming train or car traffic.

In this deadly collision, the teens were hit about 250 m after the tracks no longer run alongside traffic.

"The investigation concluded that all the material and equipment was functioning accordingly," said Elizabeth Huart of Via Rail.

However the accident report shows the light was turned on only after the teenagers were hit.

When asked when the emergency brakes were applied, Huart answered "my understanding is right after the impact."

Even if the brakes were applied earlier, there is no way the train could have stopped in time.

"We teach our children as soon as they can walk to look both ways when they cross the street. It's the same thing for rail safety," said Huart.

Calls for Royal Commission on train safety

Will Muncey has been a train engineer for close to 20 years, and in addition to working for CN handles transportation issues for the Federal Green Party.

"How many people know that a train is quiet? Noiseless?" said Muncey.

He says says coming up on someone who is walking on the tracks is terrifying.

"I'm travelling at 60 miles an hour and I tighten up. I'm in terror. Are they going to turn around? Are they going see me in time? Are they going to get off the rails?" said Muncey.

These latest deaths have prompted Muncey to renew his call for a Royal Commission on rail safety.

"A long time ago we ran trains that were 5,000 feet long. Now they're 14,000 feet," said Muncey.

"Incidences like this, they bring to light the railway safety and they give us occasion to have another look at the way we regulate safety on the rails in Canada."

In Queensland, Australia, a similar deadly incident prompted a safety review.

In that crash, a train with its light dimmed in an urban area killed three boys playing on the tracks.

A coroner's inquest found the accident would have likely been avoided if the headlight had been at full power, giving those boys a better chance at seeing the train.

For the full report, watch Paul Karwatsky's story by clicking on the video to the right.