Canadian officials say the bankrupt railway at the center of a 2013 train derailment that killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec will not have to stand trial for criminal negligence.
Prosecutors' spokesman Robert Benoit said Tuesday that there was little chance of convicting the Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway of negligence after three of its former employees facing the same charge were acquitted in January.
The Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway currently exists as a post-bankruptcy corporate entity with no money of its own and with no physical or operational assets. The defunct railway wasn't even represented by lawyers during the criminal negligence proceedings.
An unattended train carrying crude oil rolled down an incline before coming off the tracks in the town of Lac-Megantic in 2013 and exploded killing the 47 people.
Lac-Megantic's current mayor said she was stunned by the decision to abandon proceedings against the railroad.
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