Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) recorded 1,067 rail accidents in 2013, marking a 4% increase from 1,027 incidents in 2012.

During the year, there was a total of 144 accidents involving dangerous goods, up from 119 in 2012 and up from the five-year average of 133.

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TSB also recorded 127 rail fatalities in 2013, up from 83 in 2012 and up from the five-year average of 76.

"Accidents never come down to a single individual, a single action or a single factor."

The Lac-Mégantic accident in 2013 resulted in the deaths of nearly 47 people.

On 26 February 2012, VIA 92 derailed at a crossover en-route from Niagara Falls to Toronto, leaving three locomotive engineers and dozens of passengers injured.

TSB chair Wendy Tadros said: "Accidents never come down to a single individual, a single action or a single factor. You have to look at the whole context.

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"In our investigation, we found 18 factors played a role in this accident."

TSB is now calling for additional physical defences to prevent runaway trains, and for more thorough audits of safety management systems to ensure efficient safety in railways.