Surging water damages key railway bridge in Sherbrooke

A section of a railway bridge in Sherbrooke that is of “capital importance” to the region collapsed after part of the St-François River rose to dangerous levels late Friday night and Saturday morning.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Genesee & Wyoming Canada, the U.S. company that owns the railway line Chemin de fer St-Laurent & Atlantique, stated no trains were damaged in the incident.

A part of the bridge was carried away by the river in Brompton, a borough of Sherbrooke, after water levels surged rapidly overnight Friday, the company wrote in the statement.

Only the railway was damaged and no one was injured.

The company also said it had sent a crew on Saturday to evaluate the damage.

During a press conference, Karine Vallières, the MNA for Richmond, said the railway is a link of “capital importance” connecting the Eastern Townships to the Centre-du-Québec region.