Alberta leads Canada in rail crossing accidents for third time in five years
37 accidents at 2,900 crossings in 2025 resulted in two deaths; one crossing near Monarch had four collisions since 2021.
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Alberta led all Canadian provinces in rail crossing accidents for a third time in five years, recording 37 accidents at its roughly 2,900 public and private rail crossings in 2025, according to data from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. That rate amounts to about one accident every 10 days, resulting in two deaths.
Alberta's count exceeded Ontario's 33 accidents on 4,500 crossings and Quebec's 29 accidents on 6,800 crossings. Alberta also led all provinces in four of the five years prior, ranking second only in 2024 when Ontario recorded 39 accidents.
The crossing with the highest number of recorded accidents in Alberta since 2021 is near the hamlet of Monarch in Lethbridge County, where four collisions have occurred at a single-track crossing that lacks gates, lights and bells. A crossing near Taber saw three collisions in 2024 alone.
Across Canada, collisions at crossings represent around 12 per cent of all rail accidents but result in serious injuries more than half of the time. Rail crossing safety is regulated federally and has been the subject of ongoing public-awareness campaigns.
Operation Lifesaver Canada stated that crossing incidents are preventable and are a shared responsibility. "Trains always have the right of way at any railway crossings," the organization said. "Trains are significantly larger and heavier than other vehicles and cannot stop quickly. The average freight train can take the length of 18 football fields or more to come to a complete stop."
Alberta has recorded between 29 and 37 crossing accidents annually over the past five years, resulting in 11 deaths total.
