(The Canadian Press circulated the following article on July 7.)
PRESCOTT, Ontario — A rail that buckled due to heat caused the derailment that shut down CN Rail’s main Toronto-to-Montreal line, a company official said yesterday.
The temperature in this eastern Ontario town was about 30 on Monday, when 50 eastbound rail cars containing diesel fuel residue jumped the track at Prescott.
“Monday was a very, very hot day,” CN spokesperson Mark Hallman said. “When you have extreme heat, sometimes that can cause a (side-to-side) buckle in the rail.”
Cause of the derailment was identified through a CN investigation, he said, noting the Transportation Safety Board is conducting its own probe.