CPKC train derailment near Cranbrook and Kamloops cleanup

CPKC train derailment near Cranbrook has set off cleanup efforts east of the city, while recovery work after an earlier Kamloops-area derailment continues along key rail corridors in British Columbia.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

According to Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), about 12 rail cars left the tracks early on Saturday, Nov. 29, roughly 16 kilometres east of Cranbrook in a remote part of the Regional District of East Kootenay.

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A preliminary assessment indicates that 12 cars were involved in the derailment, including several carrying wood products and three tanker cars loaded with propane, as reported by CFJC Today.

In an update on Sunday, the railway said cleanup work is underway at the site and confirmed that repairs to the damaged stretch of track have been finished. After safety inspections were completed, the corridor was reopened to railway traffic, allowing trains to move through the area again.

CPKC train derailment near Cranbrook and river cleanup

The Ministry of Environment and Parks states that most of the rail cars involved in this CPKC train derailment in the Regional District of East Kootenay contained non-dangerous goods, according to a provincial incident summary from the B.C. government. Even so, lumber from one broken rail car entered the Kootenay River, creating a localized Kootenay River lumber spill that is being tracked as part of the response.

The ministry also reports that one propane tank car, which came to rest on land, has been reported to be leaking. Despite the propane tank car leak on land and debris in the river, officials say there were no fatalities or injuries linked to the derailment. The cause of the incident is still under investigation by the railway.

An evacuation order for properties along the Kootenay River, issued by the Regional District of East Kootenay, was lifted later on Saturday evening once conditions allowed. This brought an end to the short-term Regional District of East Kootenay evacuation order related to the Cranbrook-area incident.

Kamloops-area derailment recovery and next update

This derailment is the second major CPKC train derailment in British Columbia in November. On Nov. 1, 17 cars derailed near Cherry Creek, spilling more than 70,000 litres of aviation fuel into Kamloops Lake, as previously covered by Railway Supply. Despite the size of that spill, officials reported no impacts to water intakes, and Kamloops-area train derailment recovery has centred on managing remaining contamination.

Work to recover gypsum spilled in that Kamloops-area derailment is still ongoing. Crews are currently focused on clearing away the bulk of the gypsum that is not underwater, with operations to recover the gypsum released to the water set to follow.

The ministry notes that shoreline treatment at Kamloops Lake is continuing and that flushing operations have so far been successful in removing contaminants from the shoreline as part of wider shoreline treatment and cleanup.

At a public meeting in Savona on Nov. 10, CPKC representatives said a rockslide may be partially to blame for the Cherry Creek derailment, while the railway’s Indigenous relations and government affairs director, Mike LoVecchio, stressed that the exact cause remains under investigation.

The next update on the Kamloops-area derailment is expected on Dec. 4 and should provide further details on the progress of recovery efforts and the status of the corridor.

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