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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.