Canada’s Transportation Safety Board investigates crude train derailment

CP said it doesn’t own any of the tank cars involved in the accident. The railway also said the tank cars were jacketed CPC-1232 cars or retrofitted TC-117 cars, all of which met Transport Canada standards.

The accident occurred after the CP train initiated its emergency brakes, derailing a covered hopper car and 33 tank cars behind it. The derailed tank cars consisted of nine Class 117R and 24 CPC-1232 Class 111 tank cars. 

At the front end, 23 tank cars derailed, and about 19 tank cars lost their entire loads, releasing an estimated 1.5 million liters (396,298 gallos) of product into the ground or atmosphere, TSB said. An additional 10 cars at the train’s tail end sustained minimal damage but remained intact with no loss of product.

The accident occurred just after midnight Central Standard Time, when CP crude oil unit train 516-398 was eastbound on CP’s Sutherland subdivision. The train, which was following the speed limit of 45 mph, originated in Rosyth, Alberta, and was bound for Stroud, Oklahoma. Two qualified crew members, a locomotive engineer and conductor, were on board. The crew reported no injuries, and the temperature at the time of the accident was about −19°C (−2°F).

TSB will provide updates on the investigation on its website.

CP said its crews will remain on the scene for several weeks, and they are working to clean up and minimize the environmental impact. The railway reopened the rail line the morning of Dec. 10 once all track repairs and safety inspections were complete, and it worked with local firefighters to extinguish the fire.