Saskatoon

CP Rail train derails east of Saskatoon

The cleanup continues after a CP freight train derailed just east of Saskatoon, north of Clavet.

17 cars derailed, railway crews continuing to clean up today

Empty tank cars lie on their sides near Clavet, Sask., following a derailment on May 11, 2016. (Adam Regush)

Latest

  • Main line still closed but adjacent siding reopened
  • CP now says 17 cars derailed, rather than 11
  • Repair crews still on scene

Canadian Pacific crews are still on the scene of a 17-car train derailment that happened east of Saskatoon on Wednesday.

They have been working through the night to clear the tracks, and reopened a siding adjacent to the crash at 12:30 a.m. CST Thursday. Work continues on repairs and safety inspections of the main line, according to a CP spokesperson.

At around 3:45 p.m. CST, a westbound freight train derailed about 16 kilometres east of Saskatoon. A dozen of the cars were empty; the other five were carrying cement.

Several tank cars came right off their wheels, leaving the cars lying on their sides and the wheels still on the track.
A derailment east of Saskatoon, near Clavet, Sask., left hopper cars off the tracks, along with a number of tank cars. (Adam Regush)

A CP spokesperson initially said there were 11 cars which had derailed, but on Thursday morning updated that number to 17. She said there were no injuries and no reports of any hazardous leaks or fires. 

CP said once the derailment occurred, it immediately enacted its emergency response process to get teams and equipment to the site. Local and government officials and agencies have been notified.

A full investigation will take place into the cause of the incident.