Cleanup of the oil spill caused by a train derailment just south of Red Deer was continuing on Monday.
It’s the second time in the last 14 years that a derailment with a leak or spill has occurred in roughly the same area.
At 4:45 p.m. Friday afternoon, Blackfalds RCMP responded to the derailment of eight rail cars with a southbound freight train. Seven of the derailed cars carried oil while the eighth carried sand. One of the cars leaked oil.
On Monday Andy Cummings, media relations manager for Canadian Pacific Railway, said site cleanup and investigations were ongoing, but no further information was available.
The track reopened Saturday morning following repairs and safety checks.
Heavy construction crews worked Saturday to clean up the spill and a section of Hwy 2A was blocked off from McKenzie Road in the north to Airport Drive near Springbrook to allow crews to do their work.
Members of Alberta Highways, Environmental Services, Hazardous Materials and emergency services responded to the incident.
No injuries were reported.
Police said evacuations were not necessary because of the location of the derailment.
In March 2004, a locomotive and 20 cars derailed from a north-bound CP Rail freight train near Penhold. One anhydrous ammonia residue tank car was punctured and released a small amount of chemical to the atmosphere.
The derailment happened at 4:20 a.m. and 28 residents were temporarily evacuated from a nearby trailer park.
While investigating the immediate cause of the derailment, the conductor was exposed to fumes and was subsequently taken to hospital for observation.
Four of the derailed cars were residue dangerous goods tank cars, 11 were non-dangerous goods empty cars, and five were loaded with steel.
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