Quebec disaster: Oil shipments by rail have increased 28,000 per cent since 2009

A whopping 28,000 per cent increase in the amount of oil shipped by rail over the past five years is coming under the microscope following the deadly rail blast in Quebec.

The Canadian Railway Association recently estimated that as many as 140,000 carloads of crude oil are expected to rattle over the nation’s tracks this year.

That’s up from just 500 carloads in 2009.

Canada’s railways have tried to paint themselves as a cost-effective alternative to politically unpopular pipelines, like the proposed Keystone XL.

NDP energy critic Peter Julian says the eye-popping increase has gone largely unnoticed because public attention has been focused on the pipeline debates.

Julian says the Harper government has largely abandoned railway inspection, imposing as much as $3 million in cuts, and allowing the industry to monitor itself.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, asked about rail-transportation issues during his visit to the town, says today’s not the time to comment on causes.

The prime minister says a thorough investigation will be conducted and that the government will act on its recommendations.

In the meantime, he says it would be irresponsible to comment without knowing the facts.