Rail service to resume in Lac-Megantic after deadly derailment

CTV Montreal: Trains to roll through Lac-Megantic Trains will go through the damaged town starting this week.

Rail service will resume in Lac-Megantic, Que., on Wednesday, less than six months after a freight train carrying crude oil jumped the tracks and exploded, killing 47 people.

Wednesday's shipment will be limited to dry goods. Hazardous materials such as oil and other combustibles will be banned, Transport Canada said. All trains passing through the area will also require two engineers on board.

Lac-Megantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche said while she recognizes many residents do not want to see trains in town again, restarting the service is necessary to prevent an economic crisis.

A Transport Canada official said the agency has done a thorough inspection of the entire track run by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, and has put strict operational conditions on the company, including speed restrictions on certain parts of the track. The company was also required to clear certain sightlines as well as change and fix some rails in order to ensure crossings functioned properly.

The first freight trains will travel between Montreal and Lac-Megantic's industrial park. Wednesday's train will have approximately six cars and will travel through the town during the daytime.