SPRINGBROOK – A train derailment late Friday (June 8) afternoon shut down parts of Highway 2A between Springbrook and Red Deer.
Seven cars on a Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) train derailed, leaving the tracks at about 5 p.m. Reports say the cars were carrying crude oil, with one leaking.
No injuries or evacuations were reported. CP police are leading the investigation.
It is the third train derailment to occur between Springbrook and Red Deer in recent years, according to a longtime Springbrook resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
He has lived in the area since 1995.
“It concerns me a little bit. It’s a very busy rail line,” said the man who was close to the cleanup scene Saturday morning (June 9). “Out of the three (train derailments), I think they only evacuated one.”
According to a provincial Basic Emergency Management Course from April 2008, “Alberta – A Province Prepared,” there have been three train derailments since 2001 between Springbrook and Red Deer, including the one last Friday.
The report details a train derailment in Red Deer in February 2001. Four rail tankers containing anhydrous ammonia derailed near 67th Street and Highway 2. Various areas of Red Deer were evacuated and one person died.
In March 2004 there was a train derailment in Springbrook. Nineteen of 70 cars on a train carrying hazardous products derailed. Residents in a small nearby trailer court were evacuated.
Meanwhile, the train derailment last Friday resulted in the closure and rerouting of traffic from Highway 2A north, between Springbrook and Mackenzie Road, south of Red Deer.
Members of Alberta Highways, including environmental services, hazardous materials and emergency services, were on site through Saturday while the train cars were removed and cleanup continued.
Highway 2A between Springbrook and Mackenzie Road reopened late Saturday afternoon, around 6 p.m.
CP and RCMP have not released any further information at this time. The investigation continues.
