CN, VIA Rail service halted between London, Windsor after truck collides with rail overpass

Rail traffic on a stretch of track west of London was halted on Friday after a commercial truck collided with and damaged a railway overpass near Komoka, Ontario Provincial Police said.

The incident occurred along Amiens Road between Glendon and Oriole drives when a northbound truck crashed into the overpass around 5:20 a.m., police said.

A stop train order was issued as a safety precaution, and engineers with the railway later confirmed that the impact of the collision had caused the bridge to shift, police said.

The stop train order remained in place early Friday afternoon. In addition to interrupting CN Rail traffic, the shift in the tracks also halted VIA Rail service between London and Windsor.

“A semi-truck struck a bridge on the Chatham subdivision resulting in a shift in the tracks that must be repaired in order for us to safely resume our service. Therefore, there is currently no rail service between London and Windsor,” the statement, issued early Friday afternoon, read.

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“We have provided bus transportation from our Glencoe station for those onboard the affected trains this morning, that will make all required stops along the way between Glencoe and Toronto.”

In a subsequent statement, VIA said CN Rail had estimated that the tracks would be cleared by 8 p.m., but noted the deadline was out of their hands and subject to change.

For motorists in the area, OPP said they expect Amiens Road would remain closed for the next 24 to 48 hours so crews can conduct repair work.

A 31-year-old Hamilton truck driver is facing charges of careless driving and disobeying a sign under the Highway Traffic Act in the incident. They’re expected to appear in provincial traffic court, police said.

Few other details have been released, but police said no injuries were reported.

An inquiry to CN Rail was not returned by publishing time.