Lockdown following Longueuil CN train derailment lifted

The lockdown following the CN train derailment in the Le Moyne sector of Longueuil on Thursday, was lifted Friday morning – and Route 116 reopened to traffic in both directions.

At 4:30 a.m. on Friday, the City of Longueuil confirmed that containment had ended in the last zone still affected. As of Thursday evening, only a restricted area south of Route 116 had remained under containment.

In the containment zone, which initially extended over an 800-meter radius around the Canadian National (CN) rail yard, citizens were asked to close windows, doors and air exchangers. The City had insisted that this confinement was “precautionary.”

Shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday, eight cars were involved in the derailment, which did not cause any fires or injuries. Three CN employees were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The derailment did, however, result in a hydrogen peroxide spill, requiring containment.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews