Rail traffic resumed on CN’s line the afternoon of Jan. 9 following a Jan. 7 derailment near Kitwanga in which 34 covered hopper cars carrying wood pellets went off the tracks.
The derailment took place adjacent to the Skeena River but CN reported none of the pellets entered the river.
There was no fire and there were no injuries, CN indicated.
CN has so far not outlined the reasons for the derailment of the westbound freight train which shut down all rail traffic until the cars could be righted.
The train was bound for the port of Prince Rupert with the pellets scheduled for export overseas.
READ MORE: Derailment forces VIA passenger train cancellation
CN’s line serves a variety of industrial customers in this section of the province, including exports and imports from Prince Rupert.
VIA Rail cancelled its westbound passenger train from Prince George Jan. 9 but its eastbound train from Prince Rupert departed as scheduled Jan. 10.
VIA offered refunds and rebooking for affected passengers.
READ MORE: CN to make level crossing safety improvements in Terrace
The federal Transportation Safety Board (TSB) sent an investigator from Edmonton and one from Vancouver to the scene.
“The field phase of the investigation is over, the TSB is however still gathering information and assessing the occurrence,” said board official Alexandre Fournier in a Jan. 13 email.
