Twelve CN train cars carrying grain derailed near the east gate of Jasper National Park Dec. 10.
It was the second derailment in the area in five days, according to Brent Kossey, a senior spokesperson for CN Rail.
“At this stage it is too early to determine any connection or correlation between these two separate incidents,” wrote Kossey in an email.
He said the 170-car train was travelling westbound at a slow speed when it derailed around 11:40 a.m.
There were no injuries or dangerous goods involved, although six cars spilled their contents into the Athabasca River.
“Initial indications are that some grain has spilled into the Athabasca River. The amount is to be determined, and will be removed,” said Kossey, adding the track reopened at 8:45 a.m. on Dec. 11.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation.”
Five days earlier, on Dec. 6, a CN car derailed in the same vicinity, but managed to stay upright with one set of wheels off the track, said Kossey.
Upon news of the second derailment, Parks Canada dispatched an emergency response official to determine exactly where the accident happened.
“The derailment occurred in a national park; however, the land is managed by Canadian National on their right-of-way. As such, Canadian National is leading the recovery efforts with monitoring from Parks Canada, ” wrote Steve Young, a communications officer for Jasper National Park, in a Dec. 14 email.
“Parks Canada will continue to work with CN to successfully mitigate the site with clean up scheduled to begin almost immediately.”
Young said Parks is working with CN to ensure the cleanup restores the area to the condition it was in prior to the accident and is advising CN on how to reduce the risks to wildlife that may be attracted to the spill site.
“The isolated nature of the site is challenging and will require measures to ensure the safety of workers along and in the water. The good news is that grain is a natural substance.”
Cynthia Bigrigg, a reporter for the Hinton Voice who visited the site, said the cars derailed west of a small train tunnel at Bedson Ridge, which delineates the park boundary. She said the accident is about a three-kilometre hike from Highway 16.
“We hiked to the Athabasca River from Fiddle River,” said Bigrigg. “There were 12 cars on an embankment, six of which were partially in the river. There was a significant amount of grain on the embankment and crews were working on the railway.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) sent an investigator to the scene to determine the cause of the accident.
“We’ll take a look at the condition of the rolling stock, condition of the track and any surrounding infrastructure and they’ll gather as much information as they can that way,” said Chris Krepski, a spokesperson for TSB.
“We’ll also take the information from the locomotive event recorder—which is similar to a black box but in a locomotive—and interview any witnesses.”
According to Krepski, cars 73 through 84 were the ones affected by the derailment.
Paul Clarke
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