Officials with CN Rail said crews were working to clean up a pair of train derailments in central Alberta late Tuesday afternoon – and by later in the day, rail service on one track had resumed, while the cleanup was still underway on the other.
CN Rail said the first derailment happened near Huxley, Alberta, located southeast of Red Deer at about 4:45 p.m. In that case, 67 cars from a northbound train derailed onto their sides. CN said there were no spills, leaks of dangerous goods or injuries in this incident.
In that case, CN said winds in the area at the time of the derailment were about 120 kilometres per hour.
Crews started the clean up overnight, removing the derailed cars from the area, and repairs to the track were completed Wednesday morning, and train traffic resumed before 10 a.m.
Less than an hour after that incident, a westbound train derailed west of Wainwright. Thirteen train cars derailed as the train crossed CN Rail’s Fabyan Bridge.
No spills, leaks or injuries were reported in connection to that derailment, and CN said a locomotive on the end of the train was still upright on the bridge, although a set of wheels had come off the tracks.
Wind speeds reportedly reached about 100 kilometres per hour in the area at the time of the derailment.
As of Wednesday, CN crews were working to remove the cars from the embankment and the locomotive from the bridge, officials said the bridge would also be inspected.
As work is being carried out, the rail line between Edmonton and Saskatoon will be out of service. Trains are being re-routed onto CN’s east-west Prairie North Line while the situation is handled.
Later Wednesday, CN said it wasn’t clear when repairs and clean up would be completed.
