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Trains began slowly rolling through Repentigny, Que., overnight after a major derailment Sunday left the municipality and CN Rail with a colossal cleanup job.
In a statement, CN says that for now, trains will pass through the municipality at slower speeds. The company says it will also perform inspections after each train passes.
Cleanup crews are still on site and will continue to work over the coming days, the company adds.
Sunday’s derailment left 49 railcars sprawled across the tracks in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). No one was injured, no fires or leaks were produced by the incident, and no hazardous materials were on board at the time, says CN.
Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour said, in a Facebook post Tuesday evening, that rail infrastructure has been restored and checked several times by CN.
“That being said, I fully understand that many citizens may feel a certain sense of unease,” wrote Dufour. “After the events of the past few days, these reactions are entirely normal. I share them and feel the same unease.”
The cause of the derailment remains unknown, and a TSB investigation is underway.
“As part of the assessment, investigators will examine train handling, rolling stock condition, and track condition,” a TSB spokesperson wrote in a statement to CBC News.
“At this stage of the investigation, it is too early to draw conclusions regarding the causes and contributing factors of this derailment.”
Forty-six railcars derailed northeast of Montreal on Sunday afternoon, close to some residents’ backyards. There were no injuries or deaths.
