Derailment and extreme snowfall disrupt train service between Montreal and Toronto

A freight train has derailed in Montreal, slowing rail traffic along the Montreal-Toronto route.

Trains along the entire Montreal-Toronto rail corridor were also affected by extreme snowfall, the Canadian National (CN) railway company, said in a statement. Trains are either stopped completely or slowed. 

The derailment, which occurred in CN's Taschereau yard, involved 12 railcars. CN said the derailment resulted in no fires, leaks or injuries and was contained to the yard. 

In a post on X, Via Rail said its trains were stopped in Dorval, Que., a municipality on the island of Montreal, west of downtown. The Crown corporation said the situation was causing considerable delays and cancellations, but by mid-afternoon, service had been partially re-established and some trains were able to move. 

Exo, the commuter train service for the greater Montreal area, cancelled many of its afternoon trains running on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, but it said the cancellations were tied to switching problems caused by heavy snowfall, not the derailment. 

Two snow storms dropped nearly 75 centimetres of snow on the Montreal area within a four-day span. The sheer volume of snow slowed cars, closed roads and continued to cause widespread chaos on Tuesday.