Laidlaw/Hope – September 17 UPDATE – CN’s media contact person, Jonathan Abecassis, sent out a release on Thursday morning, saying that trains were moving again, past the site of the derailment, earlier this week:
Train movements resumed earlier Thursday morning at the site of a derailment of a CP train that happened on CN track early on Monday morning near Hope. The 60 railcars carrying potash (a non-hazardous solid product) that derailed off of a rail bridge are being removed from the site.
CN’s team of environmental experts as well as third party contractors will remain on location working on site remediation and product removal. Water monitoring is ongoing both upstream and downstream and additional containment barriers have been put into place.
CN will continue to engage on the clean up effort with local stakeholders as well as First Nations and would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
SEPTEMBER 15 UPDATE – CN crews continue to respond to a derailment of a CP train that happened on CN track early on Monday morning near Hope. Approximately 60 railcars carrying potash, a non-hazardous solid product, derailed off of a rail bridge. CN’s team of environmental experts as well as third party contractors are on location as potash entered an adjacent creek at the time of the incident. The spill has since been contained and removal has started with a vacuum truck. Water monitoring is underway both upstream and downstream and containment barriers have been put into place. There are no injuries, fires, or dangerous goods involved.
ORIGINAL STORY SEPTEMBER 14 – Monday Morning commuters on Highway One are reporting the sight of a train derailment near Laidlaw. Approximately 60 railcars carrying potash derailed off of a rail bridge. CN’s team of environmental experts as well as third party contractors are also responding as several of the cars derailed into an adjacent body of water.
There are no reports of injury. Traffic is one lane on Highway One along that part of the CN track.
Joyce Tetreau told FVN :
Train derailment at Hunter Creek in Laidlaw. Potash everywhere. Looks like railcars in the Creek. River just feet away. CN not having a good morning.
Jonathan Abecassis, Media Relations with CN told FVN in an email:
CN crews are responding to a train derailment that happened earlier this morning near Hope, BC. Preliminary information indicates that at least 20 railcars carrying potash derailed off of a rail bridge. CN’s team of environmental experts as well as third party contractors are also responding as several of the cars derailed into an adjacent body of water. There are no injuries, fires, or dangerous goods reported to be involved at this time.
CN would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused by this incident and thank the first responders present at the scene. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Photo from Steve Lindhout
Photo from Fraser Valley Road Report/Facebook
