27 September 2010

Derailment Site Should be Cleared by Today

St. Lazare Quebec - The cleanup operation of a derailed Canadian Pacific freight train near St. Lazare will continue until at least this afternoon, a CP spokesperson said yesterday.
 
"We don't expect train traffic will resume in the area until midday," Breanne Feigel said.
 
"The cleanup is going well, we are taking our time to do it right."
 
Railway staff and federal and provincial environment teams are working to untangle the wreckage of a Toronto-bound CP train that derailed just before midnight on Thursday.
 
Two members of the train's crew were slightly injured in the incident, which saw container cars piled into each other to form what one official described as a "50-foot wall of steel."
 
Since the accident, crews have been working around the clock, removing container cars, and clearing debris so the track can become operational.
 
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating to help determine the cause of the derailment.
 
The line is one of CP's major routes into Ontario. Since the accident, the railway has been moving freight on other lines.
 
There were no flammable liquids or toxic gases in the damaged freight cars. None of the hazardous materials that were being transported spilled onto the tracks.