A train derailment 65 kilometres northwest of Jasper saw rail traffic between Prince Rupert and Jasper grind to a halt on the night of Jan. 2 until the morning of Jan. 4.

The derailment occurred at 10:45 p.m. about 50 kilometres south of McBride, B.C., on a rural stretch of track. No injuries were reported when 33 cars out of 113 went off the tracks. 

The cars were carrying coal westbound at the time of the accident. CN spokesperson Kelli Svendsen says there are no environmental issues, and CN crews are in the process of cleaning up.

“CN crews are currently on scene,” Svendsen said on Jan. 3.

The derailment caused traffic between Jasper and Prince Rupert to stop. Trains heading east were stopped at stations between the two hubs while the clean-up efforts continued. 

Svendsen said that while the Prince Rupert traffic was being held up, trains could still access the much busier destination of Vancouver. She was unable to confirm how many trains were affected by the derailment. 

The line re-opened on Jan. 4 at 9:30 a.m. local time, and rail traffic was being staggered along the tracks. 

CN would not comment on the cause of the derailment, but Svendsen said it is under investigation. She was unclear how long the clean-up process would take, but said it was ongoing following the re-opening of the line. 

Investigations into train derailments are done internally by CN, and sometimes by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) if they choose to look into an incident further. Svendsen said there was no indication the TSB would be getting involved in this derailment at this time. 

There were two staff members on the train at the time of the incident, a conductor and an engineer. The remote area of the accident can only be accessed by rail, hampering the clean-up efforts. Svendsen said crews have arrived from both Alberta and B.C. to help.