Residents who live near the site of a train derailment in Repentigny on Sunday night are expressing safety concerns. “It’s worrying,” said Viviane Charron, who lives near where 45 train cars derailed Sunday afternoon in the district of Le Gardeur. “It makes me think about what happened at Lac-Megantic,” the rail disaster that killed 47 people. Monday marks the 13-year anniversary of the tragedy. “It makes us think if it could happen here and there could be serious consequences.” The derailment occurred at the intersection of Le Bourg-Neuf Blvd. and Émile-Genest St. around 4:30 p.m. Eric Renaud lives down the street and said he was on his way out for lunch when he saw electric wires moving and heard loud noises. “I honestly thought a plane was crashing right there,” he said, adding that when he neared the site, he could see the train had derailed. “Right away, I went with my truck right up to the train to see if I could help out… Nobody was injured from what I saw.” Local authorities confirmed there were no reports of injuries, fires, leaks or deaths. Still, the situation rattled Renaud, who lives in one of about 200 houses near the tracks that were evacuated after the derailment. “I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve lived here for 25 years,” he said. “It’s pretty bad. I’m starting to wonder about the safety of the train.” His electricity was not reconnected, but he was allowed to return to his home after a brief evacuation. Renaud said he saw a lot of damage. “The wagons were destroyed. The two or three that I saw, they were ripped apart,” he said. In a statement to CTV News, CN Rail said crews and local emergency services are on the scene. “Three railcars that had previously carried diesel fuel were involved in the derailment, but they were not loaded at the time of the incident. No railcars carrying hazardous materials were involved, and the precautionary evacuation ordered by the city has been lifted. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the statement read. Quebec premier calls for rail bypass According to Premier Christine Fréchette, Sunday’s train derailment in the heart of a residential neighbourhood in Repentigny highlights the importance of having an alternative route on the CN rail network. At a press conference in Longueuil Monday morning, she noted that the residents of Lac-Mégantic have been waiting for a bypass route for years. Fréchette is calling on the federal government to turn words into action. “We’re waiting for action, but it hasn’t materialized yet. So I’m asking the federal government to act quickly and also to look into the situation in Repentigny. Should an alternative route like this be considered? We’ll let the investigations run their course, but it’s always good to keep it as an option. And if that’s what’s recommended, we’ll have to move forward,” she said. Investigation by federal agency, police say Jean-Marc Picotte, deputy director of fire operations for the city of Repentigny, told Noovo Info that about 200 houses near the tracks were evacuated after the derailment. As of 9:30 p.m., however, residents were permitted to return home, Repentigny Mayor Nicholas Dufour told Noovo Info. Repentigny police spokesperson Bruno Marier told CTV News that while some homes have backyards that border directly on the railroad tracks, no damage to those properties has been reported. “Still, it’s quite a sight,” he told CTV News. “I imagine this will require an investigation by a federal agency to determine what happened. This is a railroad line that is used every week as it passes through the city. There has never been an incident of this kind recorded to date.” Preventative power outage in place The city of Repentigny advised the public to avoid the area in a Facebook post. Le Bourg-Neuf Blvd. is closed between Émile-Genest St. and Rosalie-Cadron St. Rue de la Paix, which runs alongside the railroad tracks, is also closed, according to the city. A preventative power outage was put in place following the derailment, according to the city’s post. Repentigny Mayor Nicholas Dufour told Noovo Info shortly after 9 p.m. that the city had asked Hydro-Québec to restore power.
