One person injured in Prescott, Ont. freight train collision
Two freight trains collided along the tracks in Prescott, Ont., disrupting freight and passenger rail service in eastern Ontario ahead of the Labour Day long weekend.
Emergency crews responded to an incident at the train tracks near Edward Street Thursday morning in the town 95 km south of Ottawa.
Police said in a tweet two cargo trains have collided. One person was treated on the scene for minor injuries.
Photos show an engine and several rail cars on its side along the tracks.
In a statement, CN Rail says preliminary reports indicate the derailment involves two trains.
"Four locomotives have derailed, two of which are on their side," said CN Rail Thursday afternoon.
"Approximately 16 cars are derailed in various positions. One of the locomotives is reported to have a minor fuel leak, which is being addressed. "
All crew members onboard the two trains were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
"It was quite a mess," said Duane Le Grand, an employee at Northern Cables, located next to the CN Rail tracks in Prescott.
Le Grand tells CTV News Ottawa they could hear the collision inside the plant.
"I was in the plant, I could hear it. The noise, I thought one of the machines blew up," said Le Grand.
"The noise just kept escalating. Looked out, sure enough the train's all there."
On Twitter, one person said it felt like an earthquake when the trains collided and derailed. Another person reported hearing a "very loud bang" at the time of the incident.
"It's pretty horrendous to see it, but actually if you can have some luck in an incident like this I think we may have had it today," said Prescott Mayor Brett Todd.
Todd says crews are on the scene to assess the damage.
"Tracks are pretty torn up and obviously a pretty significant collision there. You can see the seriousness of the impact," said Todd.
"Very thankful right now that no one was killed on scene and there was no loss of life."
The CN Rail line remained closed through Prescott, Ont. Thursday afternoon.
"The cause of the incident is under investigation and CN thanks the first responders at the scene," said CN Rail.
The Transportation Safety Board has deployed a team of investigators to Prescott to gather information and assess the incident.
VIA RAIL
VIA Rail service along the Toronto-Montreal corridor has been disrupted by the train collision in Prescott.
Passengers from Train 63 from Montreal to Toronto will be transported by bus to their final destination. The train was parked along the rail line near Iroquois for several hours on Thursday.
"At this time, approximately 1,600 VIA Rail passengers are affected by delays caused by this incident. Impacted passengers are being contacted to offer updates and alternative travel options when possible," said VIA Rail in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
VIA Rail says other trains travelling between Montreal and Toronto will be rerouted through Ottawa until the rail line is "cleared and safe for travel."
"Trains between Toronto and Montréal will see significant delays today and probably tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause to our passengers," said VIA Rail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.