Canadian National operations are returning to normal in Jasper, Alberta, where wildfires devastated part of the town and disrupted rail traffic last week.
CN resumed service Friday and by Sunday traffic volumes in Jasper had rebounded to near pre-fire levels, according to data from RailState, which monitors rail traffic using a network of sensors and cameras near main lines in Canada and some locations in the United States.
CN’s main line through Jasper is a vital funnel for traffic to and from the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
RailState monitors the Edson Subdivision in Hinton, Alta., about 80 kilometres east of Jasper. “During the first two weeks of July, an average of 19 trains per day travelled eastbound and 17.5 westbound on this subdivision,” RailState said. “On Sunday, July 28, RailState sensors detected 18 eastbound trains and 15 westbound trains in this area.”
The mainline outage reduced traffic to Vancouver by 46 per cent last week and to Prince Rupert by 42 per cent, RailState said. Westbound traffic to both ports has resumed with normal transit times, but eastbound traffic has experienced congestion-related delays due to the number of trains held up during the mainline shutdown, RailState said.
CN has diverted a pair of Canadian Pacific intermodal trains to Kansas City via Calgary, Alberta, RailState reported.
Jasper Station, a popular stop for VIA Rail’s Vancouver-Toronto train canadian was not damaged by the fire. VIA Rail has postponed the resumption of its operations canadian Service between Vancouver and Edmonton, Alberta, will run until August 5. It had previously hoped to restore service on August 2.
Trains 5 and 6, which connect Jasper and Prince Rupert via an overnight stop in Prince George, B.C., will not return to Jasper until August 6. It was previously hoped to return the trains to Jasper on July 31.
Rocky Mountaineer’s tour service to Jasper, which relies on area hotels for overnight accommodations, remains suspended indefinitely.
The rapid spread of wildfires prompted officials to order 25,000 residents, tourists and seasonal workers to evacuate Jasper last week. The fires, which have destroyed structures in nearly half the town, remain out of control in Jasper National Park.
