British Columbia

CN derailment causes VIA Rail disruptions in Prince Rupert

11 empty coal cars went off the rails closing the main line for hours.

11 empty coal cars went off the rails closing the main line for hours

A CN Rail freight engine. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

Passengers who use VIA Rail from the Prince Rupert station will now have to travel to the Terrace station more than an hour away to board their train.

"An incident involving a freight train is forcing Train 6, scheduled to depart Prince Rupert at 8:00 am PT, to start its itinerary in Terrace," said company spokesperson Mylène Bélanger.

The inbound VIA train was supposed to arrive Thursday but couldn't complete its journey.

"Travellers will be offered alternate transportation," said Bélanger.

The train is now scheduled to depart Terrace at 10:25 am PT and travels all the way to Jasper, Alberta.

CN Rail cars derailed

"Eleven empty coal cars of an eastbound CN freight train derailed," said CN Rail spokesperson Kate Fenske.

It happened Thursday at around 1:30 pm PT approximately 113 kilometres west of Terrace.

The main line was shut down until approximately 10:30 pm PT.

"There were no injuries, and no dangerous goods involved."

An investigation into the cause continues. 


For more stories from Northern British Columbia, follow Daybreak North on Twitter and Facebook.