Overturned wooden railcars, piles of twisted scrap metal and other debris are being cleared from the site of a train derailment northeast of Montreal, while investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are inspecting the scene.
The cause of the derailment of the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) train on Sunday afternoon in Repentigny’s Le Gardeur sector has not yet been determined.
In a statement, the TSB said it would “gather information and assess the occurrence.”
Police spokesperson Sgt. Bruno Marier said calls reporting the incident in the city of about 90,000 people were logged at around 4:30 p.m.
No one was killed or injured. But Marier said the derailment caused damage after some fences were torn down by the train.
In a statement to Radio-Canada Monday morning, CN spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said 45 railcars derailed and are in various positions. Urgence-Environnement had initially estimated that between 20 and 30 railcars had left the tracks.
Officials also said CN carried out an inspection of all the train cars and confirmed no hazardous materials were on board.
Three railcars that had previously transported diesel fuel were involved in the derailment, but CN confirmed they were empty at the time of the incident.
Train derails northeast of Montreal, police say no injuries
As a precaution, Hydro-Québec cut power to the area on Sunday, noting it affected more than 2,600 clients in the Lanaudière region.
Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin that power has since been restored in the area and residents who were evacuated — more than 200 — have returned home.
“We were lucky in our misfortune, thank God. No citizen was injured, and there were no hazardous substances in the tanks,” Dufour said.
He added that CN crews have begun clearance operations, while police and firefighters remained on site Monday morning.
“It’s time to start cleaning up, but above all to start asking ourselves how such a tragedy could have happened in our sector,” he said.
“The train and the residences have always coexisted well,” he said. “We’re struggling to understand what could have caused the issue.”
Dufour said any recommendations stemming from the investigation would be implemented as quickly as possible.
He added that the cleanup is expected to take several days and that the city will keep residents informed of the timeline. He also noted that Repentigny’s website includes a dedicated phone line for residents with questions or concerns.
Train derailment cleanup underway in Repentigny, Que.
Urgence-Environnement confirmed that the situation is “stable,” adding that it is ensuring “the necessary measures to safeguard the public and protect the environment are put in place.”
Safety concerns still linger as Lac-Mégantic marks 12th anniversary of rail tragedy
The Repentigny incident occurred a day before July 6, which marks the 13th anniversary of a rail disaster that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Que., after a train carrying crude oil derailed on the main street.
