Trains collide in Calgary rail yard
by The Canadian Press
Two locomotives and three cars derailed Saturday morning when one westbound train hit a stopped train
CALGARY—Transportation officials are investigating after a train hit another train that was stopped in a yard in Calgary.
Canadian Pacific spokesman Jeremy Berry says in an email that two locomotives and three cars derailed Saturday morning when one westbound train came into contact with another westbound train that was stopped in the Alyth Yard.
Berry says no one was injured and the cars didn’t contain dangerous goods.
The Transportation Safety Board says investigators have been sent to the site.
Berry says the railway’s preliminary investigation indicates human error is to blame and that there were no signalling, track or mechanical issues.
In 2013, eight tanker cars carrying flammable liquids derailed in the Alyth Yard, prompting the evacuation of a number of nearby homes.
Berry wouldn’t say how fast the train was travelling Saturday when it hit the stopped train, noting the incident is under investigation.
“All appropriate emergency notifications were made in a timely manner,” Berry said in the email.
People who were forced from their homes during the 2013 derailment said they were frustrated by not knowing what the tankers contained and that they wouldn’t face a similar situation if another derailment occurred.
The cars were carrying a diluting agent used in oil pipelines. None of the cargo spilled but it took several hours to remove the liquids from the pressurized tankers.
The safety board investigation concluded in January 2015 that a switch point had been damaged by wheel flanges that were striking it. That created a ramp, the board said, for the wheels to climb up and derail.
The board said that Canadian Pacific made improvements to the track infrastructure following the 2013 derailment.
