On 8 February 1986, a Via Rail passenger train and a 118-car Canadian National Railway freight train collide after the freight train crew fail to stop at a red railway signal on a section of a passing loop, killing 23 people. An inquiry concluded that a "railroader culture", which prized loyalty and productivity at the expense of safety, had resulted in a tired and sick crew of three, including an engineer at extreme risk of a stroke or heart attack, to either fall asleep or be otherwise incapacitated, failing to stop the freight train.
