VIA service to Churchill suspended after derailment

[CHamilton]

Via Rail cancels trains to Churchill after derailment

A derailed freight train has forced Via Rail to cancel its passenger trains between Winnipeg and Churchill until further notice.

OmniTrax Canada says 13 grain cars from a 50-car load derailed on the Hudson Bay Railway line, about 32 kilometres south of Churchill, at around 5 p.m. Monday....

Via Rail spokesperson Mylène Bélanger said the derailment is making the track unusable.

About 22 Via Rail passengers heading to Churchill from Winnipeg were delayed in Thompson. They have since been flown to Churchill to complete their trip.

Bélanger said 40 other passengers were scheduled to travel with Via Rail between Winnipeg and Churchill in the next week, and they've been given an opportunity to cancel their trips or change their dates.

 

[Blackwolf]

This situation sounds rather familiar. I missed out going to Churchill in 2008 on my Canadian trip. But with a derailment at Sioux Falls halting VIA service between Toronto and Winnipeg, taking a flight from the former to the later was in the cards on VIA's dime to continue to Vancouver. I have to wonder how long service will be disrupted.

 

[CHamilton]

Temporary Schedule for VIA Rail Trains Operating in Northern Manitoba

Two round-trips a week offered between Winnipeg and Gillam, and one weekly round-trip between The Pas and Gillam

Winnipeg, June 9, 2014– Following the closing of a portion of the railway in Northern Manitoba due to a freight train derailment, VIA RailCanada (viarail.ca) will continue offering basic rail services between Winnipeg and Gillam, until further notice. Departures of train #692 from Gillam are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Wednesdays’ departures of train #692 will operate to The Pas. Train #693 will depart from Winnipeg on Sundays and Tuesdays. It will originate in The Pas on Fridays. Both trains will operate according to the normal schedule. No alternate transportation between Gillam and Churchill is being offered at this time.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Hopefully this mess will be cleared up before the prime polar bear viewing time in the fall!