Tag Archives: Moncton NB

Fire department notified of derailment seven hours after incident

Repost from CBC News, New Brunswick

Moncton fire chief calls for swifter notice of derailments

Department was notified about weekend train derailment, oil spill 7 hours after incident
CBC News, Nov 10, 2014
The Moncton Fire Department was notified about a train derailment and oil spill at Gordon Yard seven hours after the incident.
The Moncton Fire Department was notified about a train derailment and oil spill at Gordon Yard seven hours after the incident. (Google Maps)

Moncton’s fire chief says the department should be called in immediately after a train derailment such as the incident that occurred Saturday at Gordon Yard.

At about 12:20 a.m. Saturday, 16 cars of an eastbound train — six empty automobile carriers and 10 loaded with crude oil — derailed while entering Gordon Yard, according to CN Rail.

One of the cars had a minor leak and just over 150 litres dripped on to the ground below the car, says a CN spokesman.

But Moncton Fire chief Eric Arsenault says the department wasn’t notified until more than seven hours later.

“From our perspective, we would have preferred to know about the derailment at the moment it happened,” said Arsenault.

“But the way things unfurled, RST, which is a company that was sent from Saint John to do the transfer of oil from the damaged car to a spare car, requested our presence as a precaution in case something were to go wrong in the transfer of product.”

The incident happened on private property, away from homes, businesses and the main rail line.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, says a CN spokesman.

Transport Canada says it will follow up with CN to make sure rail safety rules were complied with.

LATEST DERAILMENT: 16 cars, minor spill, no injuries in Moncton, New Brunswick

Repost from CBC News
[Editor: from Wikipedia: “Moncton is a Canadian city located in Westmorland County in southeastern New Brunswick.  Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces.”  – RS]

Oil spilled in derailment at Moncton train yard

CBC News, Nov 08, 2014

About 150 litres of oil spilled when a number of rail cars derailed Saturday morning at CN’s Gordon Yard in Moncton, a CN spokesperson says.

Louis Antoine Paquin says the train derailment happened at about 12:20 a.m.

There were 16 cars on the train, all remained upright. Ten were carrying unrefined crude oil, while the remaining six were empty cars that are used to transport vehicles.

The leak was quickly plugged and the clean up is complete, said Paquin.

Paul Bruens, a platoon chief with the Moncton fire department, said they weren’t informed of the derailment until 7:45 a.m.

“They requested us for their assistance on a standby mode while they transferred fuel from a damaged rail car into an undamaged rail car,” he said.

Bruens said the incident happened on private property, away from homes and businesses.

No one was injured.