Safety board says it's too soon to determine cause of Montreal-area train derailment

Crews clean up a derailed cargo train in Repentigny, Que., on Monday, July 6, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

REPENTIGNY — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it’s too early to determine how 49 CN railcars derailed on Sunday near Montreal.

In a news release, the independent agency confirms that no dangerous goods were released from the cars and that no injuries were reported.

It says investigators are collecting information, including train handling and track conditions, and analyzing data from locomotive voices and video recorders.

The agency says a CN Rail train travelling from Joliette, Que., was rolling southward when it derailed at the edge of a residential area of Repentigny, Que., northeast of Montreal, around 5 p.m.

Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour said that two weeks ago, repairs were being carried out on the section of track where the train derailed.

The derailment occurred one day before the 13-year anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that killed 47 people about 200 kilometres east of Repentigny.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press