(Reuters circulated the following article on March 1.)
TORONTO — A freight train derailed on Canadian National Railway Co.’s main line just east of Toronto on Thursday, fouling commuter and passenger rail service just as a storm hit the region.
Canadian National said 32 cars of a 105-car eastbound intermodal train went off the tracks at Pickering Junction, on the railroad’s line between Toronto and Montreal. There were no reports of injuries.
The cause of the accident was under investigation.
Two of the 50 containers on the derailed cars were carrying dangerous materials, including batteries, but there were no reports of leaks, CN spokesman Mark Hallman said.
Commuter rail operator GO Transit said one of the tracks it uses remained open, but that service would be delayed as trains slowed to pass the accident site, which was not expected to be repaired until Friday afternoon.
VIA Rail intercity passenger service between Toronto and Montreal and Ottawa was also disrupted as passengers were bused around the accident site.
The accident happened as the trains on VIA Rail’s busiest route were already running at near-capacity because of a storm that disrupted highway flow and air service.
“It’s just compounded what the weather was doing,” Via Rail spokeswoman Catherine Kalousky said.
The derailment also comes as Canadian National, Canada’s largest railway, was trying to clear a backlog of freight caused by a two-week strike by freight train conductors and switch crews.