Teamsters Canada Rail Conference

Published: January 26th 2009
Source: By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald
Printer friendly version

Emergency officials in Canmore have lifted an evacuation order, enacted earlier Monday, following a train derailment in the resort town near Calgary.

Nine railcars - carrying cargo such as butane and glycol - derailed in the western Alberta town at about 6:45 a.m., forcing a precautionary evacuation of nearby businesses, hotels, and a high school.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb said the decision to evacuate was as a precuationary move.

"The biggest situation (was) the unknown. We didn't know what was in at the time," said Webb.

It's since been determined there is no danger to the public.

Breanne Feigel, spokeswoman for CP Rail, said nine cars were involved in the derailment, two of those tipped over. Both contained glycol - a chemical used in the production of automotive antifreeze - and one leaked a little, but the leak was limited to CP property and “doesn’t pose a threat,” Feigel said.

She added the cause of the derailment is still unknown.

"We're evaluating each and every aspect of this incident and we'll be launching a full investigation to determine why," she said.

Nearby schools, a recreation centre and a hotel - the Quality Resort Chateau Canmore - were evacuated as a precaution following the derailment.

Hotel general manager Greg Ivany said the hotel, which is hosting athletes from 13 countries, was about 90 per cent full when the evacuation notice was given.

They decided to pull the fire alarm and make sure everyone was out.

He was in the hotel when the cars came off the track.

"The train is always a little loud going by, but this morning it was very loud. It shook the windows," said Ivany.

Greek biathlon participant Kleahlhies Karamichas said news of the derailment was a concern for many of the participants who were planning on training for the event that has brought them to Canmore.

"It's not good. All the people, they have nerves. They want concentration before (the event) and this is not good," he said.

Parts of Canmore was also closed to traffic due to the derailment. No injuries have been reported.

Canmore, in the eastern Rockies, is about 100 kilometres west of Calgary.

Canmore evacuated
By TS Owen/Editor@canmoreleader.com

Living with railroad tracks running through town is a hazard, a point made by Mayor Ron Casey after nine cars carrying chemicals to Vancouver jumped the tracks at 6:45 Monday morning, two tipped on their sides and one began leaking glycol.

““There is always a risk when a rail line runs through a community and ours is no different,” he wrote in an email.

The response was immediate. Canmore Fire-Ems were on scene and closed 17th Street, Railway Avenue and Bow Valley Trail. Guests at the Chateau Canmore who had been jolted awake by the crash, which rattled the windows, were evacuated from their rooms for safety. Many crossed Railroad Avenue to Craig’s Way Station where they ate breakfast and traded tales of the morning’s excitement.

“Environmental agencies, CP guys, RCMP and some fire brigade were moving around,” said Farhan Haider, manager of the Shell Station on Bow Valley Trail, which was closed twice. “There were also some media people here.”

Traffic was detoured, the high school and nearby businesses closed and the Chateau cleared of biathletes from 13 countries who were competing in the World Junior and Youth Biathlon Championships at the Nordic Centre.

In order to make sure everyone got out quickly, general manager Greg Ivany set off the fire alarm.

Two of the derailed cars carried glycol, said CP Rail spokesperson Breanne Feigel, and the rest odorless, flammable butane, prompting the evacuations. Glycol is the primary ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid with a sweet taste that attracts cats and other animals, which die from its toxins.

By 9, the crack in the car was plugged and the glycol leak stopped. CP spokesperson Breanne Feigel estimated it had leaked one litre per hour.

By 10:15, environmental experts had concluded their investigation and the evacuation order was lifted.

For Haider, the morning was an on again off again attempt to run his business, which opened at 7 a.m.

“The RCMP came and they requested us to shut down,” he said. “They said they were not clear what these containers were carrying so they just wanted to make sure and for precautionary measures they shut down the gas station.”

Haider said he was free to move around but sat in his car waiting for the “green signal” to reopen the station. That came after a couple of hours, he said.

“They removed barriers, we opened again and then they got some call from other people who were coordinating and again we were requested to shut it down around 9:30.”

He had only serviced two cars in the time he was open.

“After that, at around 11 a.m., they finally gave us approval to open the store.”

The 80-car train was stopped and crews called to clear the path for cranes to lift the cars off the mainline so train traffic could resume.

Hazardous Materials responders checked and stopped the leaks. RCMP cordoned off the area, protecting rubberneckers who might be harmed by as yet unidentified vapors.

Experts were consulted.

For those not close enough to hear the crash or be affected by the evacuations, the first word they may have heard could have been an 8:43 a.m. email from the Canmore Collegiate High School announcing it was closed until further notice by the derailment. Diploma exams would be held at Lawrence Grassi Middle School.

Twelve minutes later, RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb sent out a notice of the wreck, explaining the evacuations were precautionary only since no leakage from the cars was apparent.

“C.P. Rail, Canmore Fire Dept and RCMP personnel are attempting to positively identify the contents of the involved railcars,” he wrote. He asked the public to respect the closed area signs.

At 11:30, the high school was reopened and students could write their scheduled English and social exams in the afternoon.

At 1:41 p.m., Mayor Casey reassured residents that there was no leaking butane and the glycol leak had been stopped.

“The one thing that does, in my opinion, make Canmore’s situation a little different is the location of our wells in close proximity to the main line,” he wrote.

By 5:17, the high school reported nearly all students had been able to write their diploma exams despite the evacuation.

By 5:50 p.m. all roadblocks had been removed and the cars lifted from the tracks while CP rail crews worked through the night to clear the damaged cars from the scene. Some roads were still blocked by the fallen rail cars, according to Webb, but were opened when all train cars were removed from the scene.

CP cleaned up the glycol, transloaded the leaking car and rerailed the other cars, restoring train traffic on the mainline.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

“It could be a couple of weeks, it could be a couple of months before they make a firm decision as to what the cause was,” said Feigel, who added “there are no environmental issues at this time.”