CN Burlington Derailment At Aldershot

From The Toronto Star
TheStar.com | GTA | 19 train cars derailed in Burlington

Feb 18, 2008 11:28 AM
Jeffrey Todd
Staff Reporter

CN workers are scrambling to clean up after a freight train derailed in Burlington near the Aldershot GO station, forcing 19 cars and tankers off the tracks.

No one was hurt and there is no danger of chemical spills, but the derailment is interfering with GO transit and Via Rail service. King Rd. is closed from Plains Rd. to the North Service Rd. At this hour, CN cannot say when service will be restored.

Catherine Kaloutsky, a Via Rail spokesperson, said every train in southwestern Ontario has been somehow affected by the disaster. “It’s had a major impact,” Kaloutsky said. She doesn’t expect crews to clear the tracks until at least midnight tonight.

The derailment happened at about 1 a.m. just east of the Aldershot GO station near the King Rd. rail crossing. Some of the cars on an eastbound freight, consisting of three locomotives and 139 rail cars separated, sending the cars off the track.

Four of the derailed cars were tankers, though police say they weren’t carrying toxic materials. One of the cars contained millions of plastic pellets and another car contained lumber.

Bulldozers are also being used to clear some of the damage so workers can get to the scene.

Binder said much of the morning will be spent bringing in the heavy equipment that’s capable of lifting the derailed cars, so they can be placed back on the tracks.

Until the track can be reopened, trains westbound from Union Station will end at Burlington. There are no trains to and from Hamilton. Passengers must use buses being offered by the company.

Via Trains traveling from Toronto to Brantford, London, and Niagara Falls will either be replaced by buses or re-routed, said VIA spokesperson Catherine Kaloutsky. Trains to Kitchener and Sarnia will not be affected.

Passengers with travel plans today must present their train ticket to board the emergency buses.

On Jan.18 CN’s vice-president and chief safety officer declared freight train derailments were rising at an alarming rate and expressed concern about track maintenance.

He added that while the damage of these derailments was not always catastrophic, travelers are always affected.

Kaloutsky said passengers planning on riding the rails today should call 1-888-842-7245 to find out whether their train is rerouted or replaced by bus service.
 
Top