DERAILMENT CLEANUP
30 cars full of potash jump rails near Blucher
It is not clear what caused an eastbound Canadian Pacific Railway train to derail near Blucher, but the railway has said no one was injured.
The train went off the rails around 7:55 a.m. Friday. Initial reports indicate that more than 30 Canpotex Ltd. cars loaded with potash left the track, CP spokesman Jeremy Berry said in an email.
The Calgary-based railroad immediately implemented its emergency response protocols and sent response teams to the site, located approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon, Berry said.
“We take this incident extremely seriously, and will be focused on safety as we continue to deal with this incident. All required notifications have been made and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.”
Crews with heavy equipment were on the scene early Friday afternoon, examining the crumpled grey railcars and large piles of pink-coloured potash spilled on the ground.
Canpotex spokeswoman Natashia Stinka said the company — which markets potash internationally for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., Agrium Inc. and Mosaic Co. — was aware that the derailment involved its cars.
“We understand there are no injuries or public safety concerns,” Stinka said in an email before referring further comment to Canadian Pacific.
Canadian Pacific said in its latest annual report that it had 0.97 accidents per one million train miles last year, down from 1.33 accidents per one million miles in 2015.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said Friday it is sending investigators to the scene to gather information and assess what happened.
According to the TSB, there were 45 derailments involving more than six cars on main or secondary tracks reported last year, down significantly from the 95 reported in 2007.
The last major derailment involving a Canadian Pacific train in Saskatchewan happened in December 2016 when more than 20 cars, some of which were loaded with potash, went off the tracks north of Craven.