Train hits debris on railway, cause diesel spill near Agassiz
CBC
VIA Rail passengers had their plans derailed on Friday when their train was damaged after hitting debris near Agassiz, B.C.
Dawn Bates was on board the dining car when she suddenly heard loud bangs and felt the train "violently shake."
"The look of fear on the [VIA Rail employee's] face was quite disconcerting," said Bates, who was travelling to Churchill, Man., to see the Northern Lights. The train had been travelling from Vancouver to Toronto.
"It was really quite scary and there was a very strong smell of diesel and of burning and we came to a standstill."
In a statement, VIA Rail confirmed the train's engine and some cars were damaged after striking debris on the tracks.
"None of the 121 passengers or crew members on board were injured in the incident, but the damage caused a fuel leak, and the train was not able to proceed," it said, adding Agassiz RCMP and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) police were investigating the incident.
The statement says the leak spilled onto the railway owned by CPKC Limited — which manages a railway network that runs through Canada, the U.S. and Mexico — and is being assessed by CPKC environmental teams for damage and cleanup.
Bates says VIA Rail has gone above and beyond to help shaken passengers following the incident, but she hopes more information can be made readily available for people waiting to get to their final locations.
"Everybody at VIA Rail that I've dealt with and I've spoken with, I really do feel that they need good commendation and they handled it so well," she said.
Neither RCMP, VIA Rail nor CPKC were able to share details with CBC News on what the debris was or if it had been intentionally left there.
A Provincial Health Services Authority spokesperson said first responders attended the scene, but that no one required medical attention.
The Seabird Island Band Administration and Emergency Management released a community advisory following the incident, stating no one was hurt and that there is no imminent danger to the community.
The advisory asks residents near Lougheed Highway "between Seabird Island Road and the Gasbar" to avoid using water until it's confirmed local wells are unaffected by the diesel spill.
While his party has made a cause célèbre out of its battle with the Speaker, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has periodically waxed poetic about the House of Commons — suggesting that its green upholstery is meant to symbolize the fields of the English countryside where commoners met centuries ago before the signing of the Magna Carta.