OTTAWA — CN Rail has stopped visually inspecting trains as they leave its Winnipeg yards, letting railcars move across the city before a final check for defects, the Free Press has learned.

"This operational change will only be implemented for the work centres in the Winnipeg metropolitan area," reads an internal directive CN Rail’s local superintendent issued April 13, which took effect next day.

The company insists it is improving its safety protocols.

Last year, CN built what it calls automated inspection portals on its four lines that enter Winnipeg. The portals are metal arches equipped with lasers, lights and cameras, which capture detailed images of an entire train. Staff inspect those images remotely using artificial intelligence, and flag issues for follow-up.

These portals are located at four sites: south of the Perimeter Highway west of Highway 75, east of the city at Ste. Anne, at Anola in the Rural Municipality of Springfield, and outside Portage la Prairie at a spot called Nattress.

Before that change, CN mechanics in Winnipeg would visually inspect trains leaving yards. The devices around the city took over those duties last week.

The only exceptions are for trains carrying shifting loads (such as bundled pipes) or excess amounts of dangerous goods (such as oil).

CN workers reached out to the Free Press over concerns trains bound for Emerson and Saskatchewan carrying fertilizer or chlorine are crossing densely populated parts of Winnipeg before they reach the automated inspections.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS CN staff remotely inspect the images taken by the automated portals using artificial intelligence.

In the case of trains headed west from CN’s Symington or Transcona yards, they travel 91 kilometres, past Union Station and through Fort Rouge, before entering the inspection portal at Nattress.

Symington is known as a "hump yard," as some trains are brought up a slope before being left to roll into place. It’s a standard procedure, but employees working at the yard said this increases the risk of train parts shifting, compared with trains braking into place.

CN Rail would not provide an interview Tuesday, and instead sent a statement explaining the company’s visual inspections were a voluntary measure.

"Cars on trains originating in Winnipeg will continue to be inspected by certified car inspectors in accordance with applicable rules, and all required inspections will continue on top of our additional voluntary inspections using (the portals)," wrote spokesman Jonathan Abecassis.

"Other inspections, including air-brake tests and wayside detection for items such as dragging equipment and hot wheels, will also continue to be used."

Transport Canada confirmed the change involved CN Rail's voluntary policy of inspecting trains visually when they depart yards.

"The use of the (portals) in Winnipeg does not involve moving away from any Transport Canada regulatory requirement," wrote regulator spokesman Simon Rivet.

"Trains must receive a full mechanical inspection and brake test by certified mechanics before they depart the yard."

Last summer, CN Rail told investors it expected the new portals would save as much as $400 million over the course of three years, if rolled out across the company network. Each portal costs about $3.5 million to build.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca