OTTAWA — A panel reviewing Canada’s railway safety is especially critical of Canadian National Railway for its “culture of fear and discipline’’ in the railway’s safety management plan.

The panel report concluded Canada’s railways are safe but should be safer and made 50 recommendations to improve the safety record of railways across the country.

Federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon tabled the report — titled Stronger Ties: A Shared Commitment to Railway Safety, — in the House of Commons Friday.

He launched the review in December, 2006, following several serious rail accidents in B.C., Alberta and Quebec.

The panel report states the industry faces specific, safety-related operations issues that affect both people and equipment.

“These include fatigue management, locomotive design, locomotive event and voice recorder, rail traffic control locations, track and infrastructure, training, train dynamics and drug and alcohol programs,’’ the report states.

CN and CP operate about 74 per cent of Canada’s rail network. The report said passenger railways, VIA Rail in particular, have commendable safety cultures.

It also said Canadian Pacific Railway has made great strides in improving its safety culture.

On the other hand, the report said, CN Rail’s strict adherence to a rules-based approach focused on disciplinary actions when mistakes were made.

CN “has instilled a ‘culture of fear and discipline’ and is counter to an effective safety management system,’’ the report said. “CN needs to acknowledge this openly and take concrete steps to improve.’’

CN Rail trains wrecks were responsible for at least two of the environmental disasters that set off the safety review.

In 2005, a chemical spill from a CN train into the Cheakamus River, near Squamish, B.C., sterilized the river, killing more than half a million fish down river.

A defective rail was responsible for the August 2005 rail spill where 700,000 litres of bunker C oil and chemicals were dumped in and around the shore of Lake Wabamun near Edmonton.

“The panel makes it clear that (the statement) is an opinion, it’s not tied to a particular recommendation,’’ said CN Rail spokesman Jim Feeny in reaction to the report.

He said CN officials are going through the review and will look at all the findings, “because we share their goal of promoting rail safety.’’