About 19,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled in southeast Calgary train derailment: fire department

A cleanup operation is underway in southeast Calgary after about 19,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled on Wednesday night when a train derailed.

The Calgary Fire Department said two trains collided on the same track in the area of Ogden Road and 50 Avenue Southeast.

Police said the derailment happened at about 8:15 p.m. and that seven cars left the tracks.

On Thursday, the Transportation Safety Board confirmed the incident.

“A CP assignment was proceeding westward when it collided head-on with a remote-controlled locomotive system assignment,” the statement to Global News said. “Two locomotives and seven rail cars derailed. One locomotive leaked an unknown amount of diesel fuel. No injuries were reported.”

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The fire department told Global News that two Canadian Pacific Railway workers were assessed at the scene by emergency crews but did not require treatment.

The fire department said no other dangerous substances spilled in the derailment.

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The CFD noted there is a canal nearby but said man-made berms were able to keep the diesel fuel out of it.

CP Rail said there was also grain spilled in the derailment.

Because of the derailment, Ogden Road was shut down in both directions at 50 Avenue and Millican Road Southeast.

The CFD noted that Alberta Environment and Parks has been made aware of the incident, who confirmed that its response team ASERT was onsite assessing the environmental impacts of the diesel spill and overseeing the cleanup.

The press secretary for Minister Jason Nixon said the diesel spill “had no impacts to waterways or a nearby City of Calgary storm sewer.”

“However, a section of the Western Irrigation Canal, located approximately 50 feet from the released diesel, required protection from the released fluid,” Paul Hamnett said in a statement. “Recovery was completed early (Thursday) morning, non-impacted rail cars have been removed from the site and recovery of released grain continues which is expected to be completed later (Thursday).”

Watch below: Some Global News videos about past train derailments in Alberta.

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