Two GO Trains nearly collided near Burlington in 2024
Human error and distraction led to a close call involving 400 passengers. The TSB is calling for automated safety systems.
A potential catastrophe was narrowly averted on March 14, 2024, when two GO Trains nearly collided head-on near Burlington. One train passed a stop signal at Aldershot station and entered a track occupied by an oncoming train; crews stopped both with approximately 549 feet to spare, carrying around 400 passengers combined.
The Transportation Safety Board released its investigation Wednesday, finding that the crew departing Aldershot expected the opposing train to have already passed. The conductor was focused on his tablet while the locomotive engineer dealt with equipment issues—both distractions that prevented them from observing the stop indication.
The TSB chair said the incident underscores the need for "physical fail-safe train controls that can intervene when signal indications are not followed." The board has investigated eight similar incidents across Canada since 2023 and calls the pattern a sign that human compliance alone is not sufficient safeguard.
The TSB is pushing for positive train control (PTC)—automated systems that slow or stop trains when crews don't respond to signals. The U.S. has had PTC on high-hazard routes since 2020. Transport Canada has promised proposed regulations by 2026, but the TSB says its push for these systems has gone largely unheeded since 2000.
Metrolinx hasn't yet responded to requests for comment on the report.