Canadian National Railway Co. told its customers on Wednesday, July 14, that it is temporarily suspending operations in parts of British Columbia due to wildfires, the latest snarl to rail traffic in the region after recent track damage left thousands of cars idled.
As of July 14, CN wasn’t running trains between Kamloops and Lytton, B.C., as there were several fires in the area, according to a letter to customers seen by Bloomberg. CN did not immediately return a request for comment.
This is the second time in just two weeks that rail traffic has been disrupted in the key B.C. corridor. The bulk of exported rail cargo is transported through this area to reach the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s biggest. A June 30 fire in Lytton destroyed the village and damaged tracks operated by CN and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.
Some train movement resumed last week after repairs to the CP track, but the CN line sustained more significant damage. Meanwhile, the port in Vancouver has been congested with vessels due to the rail car delays.
CN’s latest halt came after B.C. Wildfire Service requested that the company temporarily suspend operations in the area, the letter to customers stated.
“There are also fires raging very close to our track on the Lillooet line running from Vancouver to Prince George via Squamish, and as a result, we will not be running a train today on that line,” the letter states.
Canpotex told Green Markets on July 8 that the situation was “fluid.” At the time, the potash export organization said there have been some rail service disruptions, but that it was working closely with the railway companies to assess the extent of the impacts. The company had no update on July 14, though one knowledgeable source said so far potash delays have only been minor.
In the meantime, on July 14 Saskatchewan officials were weighing the possibility of bringing in firefighters from across the country due to the increasing fire count, according to CBC News. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said there were 123 active fires in the province on July 14, up from 107 on July 13.