The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and CN Police Service are conducting an investigation after a train collision occurred overnight in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, Quebec. Quebec provincial police reported that the incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Monday when a Via Rail passenger train collided with the trailers of two transport trucks.
According to Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, the train had 124 individuals on board at the time, including passengers and crew. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries from the collision. Subsequently, due to a lack of heating on the train post-collision, passengers and staff were evacuated and transported by bus to a local community center in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, situated in Quebec’s Lower St. Lawrence region.
A representative from Via Rail mentioned that the affected passengers have been transferred onto buses to continue their journeys to their final destinations. However, as the incident took place on a single-track segment of the railway, another train, designated as train 15 and en route to Halifax from Montreal, was impacted. Over 100 passengers from this train were relocated to buses at Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, to complete their trips.
Bilodeau explained that the two trucks had parked near Highway 289 but inadvertently positioned themselves too close to the tracks. While it was uncertain if the tracks were visible or covered by snow, Bilodeau noted that the truck drivers would have had to cross the railway to access the parking lot, potentially leading to the collision.
The collision resulted in damages to both the tracks and the train itself, which might result in service disruptions for other passenger trains. A CN spokesperson stated that as of Monday morning, the tracks remain closed, with CN workers working to contain a fuel spill resulting from the derailment.
The spokesperson assured that there is currently no threat to public safety arising from the incident.