Prince Rupert train derailment spilled almost 8,000 litres of diesel, ministry says

From March 17: A train derailed after a mudslide in northwestern B.C. Monday, sending dozens of rail cars off the tracks.

A train derailment on B.C.’s north coast last month released nearly 8,000 litres of diesel fuel, according to the provincial Environment Ministry.

Authorities initially said no visible spills had resulted from the March 16 mudslide and derailment of 27 empty grain hopper cars near Port Edward, about 15 kilometres south of Prince Rupert.

No one was injured in the derailment, which came during a series of atmospheric rivers that pounded the B.C. coast last month.

Subsequent updates from the ministry indicated that a locomotive had also derailed during the incident, and that it had leaked diesel fuel, causing “limited sheening” in the nearby Inverness Passage.

In the most recent update on the incident, the ministry said “approximately 7,949 litres” of fuel were released, with 4,529 litres “recovered through skimming and absorbent materials.”

“An estimated 3,421 litres remain unaccounted for,” the ministry said in its March 25 update.

A total of nine train cars ended up in the intertidal zone, according to the ministry. As of the last update, five had been removed and salvage and cleanup operations were ongoing.

“Ministry of Environment staff continue to monitor response activities and review sampling results, waste management plans, and daily reports for compliance,” the update reads.

The mudslide and derailment cut off rail service to and from the Port of Prince Rupert, which is Canada’s third-busiest after Vancouver and Montreal.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told CTV News at the time that about 1,000 workers at the port were affected by the rail closure.

The tracks reopened on March 20, four days after the slide.