Cleanup efforts continued Monday after a CN freight train derailed in the Le Gardeur sector of Repentigny, sending 46 railcars off the tracks in a residential area and prompting a temporary evacuation of hundreds of nearby homes.
The derailment happened Sunday afternoon about 40 kilometres northeast of Montreal. No hazardous materials were involved and no one was seriously injured, according to CN. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the cause.
Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour said between 200 and 300 homes were evacuated as a precaution while emergency crews determined what the derailed railcars were carrying and established a safety perimeter. Residents were allowed to return later Sunday evening after officials confirmed there were no hazardous materials on board.
“We know the train operator didn’t experience any major issues,” Dufour said. “He suffered only very minor injuries and had already gotten off the train to help crews, police and residents.”
The mayor added that the city also asked Hydro-Québec to shut off power in the area.
“We also asked Hydro-Québec to cut power to the area to ensure that, if there were any leaks from the railcars, nothing could be ignited by electricity,” he said.
CN confirmed in an emailed statement that there were “no leaks, fires, or injuries” following the derailment.
The railway said three railcars that had previously carried diesel fuel were involved but were empty at the time. It added no railcars carrying hazardous materials derailed and apologized for the disruption, saying cleanup crews continue to work alongside local authorities and regulators while the cause remains under investigation.
CityNews observed numerous CN crews and heavy equipment at the site Monday as workers began removing the derailed cars. Dufour said the cleanup is expected to take several days.
Residents described a frightening scene as the train left the tracks.
“It was super intense and lasted almost 30 seconds,” said resident Matis Machaud. “It felt like a real earthquake. Things were falling a little bit.”
Bruno Cardinar said he initially thought a plane had crashed.
“We were all sitting on the steps here,” he said. “I had just gone to the bathroom when it started. At first I thought it was a plane because the noise was so loud. Then everything started shaking. It was really terrifying.”
Caroline Banville said the loud impact and thick smoke left neighbours fearing the worst.
“There was a huge bang. It felt like an earthquake,” she said. “Even the rocking chairs started moving. I rushed to get my parents because I was afraid it was going to explode when we saw the large plume of black smoke.”
Another resident, Richard Labbé, said uncertainty added to the anxiety.
“People were definitely nervous,” he said. “Everyone was worried because they didn’t know if there was gas leaking or whether anyone had been injured.”
Officials said the train was carrying lumber, while several tanker cars that had previously transported gasoline were empty when the derailment occurred.
The cause of the derailment remains unknown.
Dufour said CN completed work at a nearby railway crossing about two weeks ago, but stressed it is too early to determine whether the maintenance, extreme heat causing rail expansion or another factor contributed to the incident.
“We know there was railway work done a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “Could that be it? Could the heat have caused the rails to expand? We’re eager to see the findings of the investigation.”
CityNews reached out to CN asking specifically about the maintenance work, but the company did not reply to that question.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said the investigation will need to determine whether the recent work played any role.
“We know that the railway was renovated two weeks ago. Is it linked to that or not? We have to know that,” Fréchette said. “If the conclusion is that an alternative railroad needs to be put in place, the federal government will have to put that in place.”
Many residents also questioned whether the recent track work could have been a factor.
“I never thought something like this could happen in our neighbourhood,” Cardinar said. “Especially since it’s a straight stretch of track, there’s no curve. Everyone in the neighbourhood is convinced it’s connected to the repairs they recently did.”
The derailment occurred on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, Canada’s deadliest rail disaster, in which 47 people were killed after a freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in downtown Lac-Mégantic.
“We were very lucky in our misfortune,” Dufour said. “As soon as we heard the words ‘train derailment,’ our thoughts immediately went to what happened in Lac-Mégantic 13 years ago today.”
Add CityNews Montreal as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
