2009

8 December 2009 17-Car Train Derailment in Taber Taber Alberta - In the Town of Taber's emergency preparedness plan, a train derailment is one of the more likely major emergencies that could take place.   Early Tuesday morning, that possibility came to fruition, as 17 rail cars came off the tracks.   However, it was no major emergency, as the cars were not carrying any hazardous materials.   "We got the call at 1:59 a.m. for a train derailment," explained Brad Mason, the town's emergency services manager.   Mason added the cars that came off the tracks were all hopper cars, which were carrying potash. As a result, he said there was no immediate fire hazard.   The cars derailed just before 50th Street in Taber, right in front of the Fas Gas and Kentucky Fried Chicken locations.   Due to the fact the derailment took place right in the middle of Taber, Mason said the town "dodged a bullet" this time, especially since many of the rail cars were badly damaged. "A number of the cars opened right up, so if they had any hazardous materials in them, it could have been bad."   He added the town has not been told what the cause of the derailment was, though the cold weather likely did not help the situation.   Canadian Pacific Railway crews were on scene trying to clean up the mess and determine the cause of the derailment.   Mason said the first priority for the crew was to get the rail line up and running again. He was told the goal was to have the area cleaned up within 24 hours.   Breanne Feigel, a CP spokesperson, said as of Tuesday morning, no concrete cause of the derailment had been determined, although the weather may have been a factor. "That's part of the investigation that's ongoing, but it's really too early to tell." She added at this point, the 51st Street crossing was a priority to get open.   Work was also continuing on clearing the rail cars and repairing damaged section of track.   Feigel said there were also no environmental issues with the potash spill, and added such derailments are certainly not a common occurrence. "CP is actually the safest railway in North America. We take our safety seriously."   She went on to say CP does have an emergency plan in place for such events, and added derailments such as yesterday's in Taber do not typically have anything to do with the weather. "There is not an increased frequency at any time of the year, but cold is certainly a factor when our crew is doing work outside. It's certainly not the best time of year for something like this to happen."   Garrett Simmons.

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