Toronto, November 29, 2021
Ongoing precipitation across southwestern B.C. has caused the closures of rail lines and highway routes servicing the West Coast.
Rail operations: CP's mainline between Kamloops and Vancouver is closed to enable engineering teams to conduct inspections and undertake repairs to stabilize sites impacted by rainfall. No new washouts have been reported. CN operated numerous trains over its mainline in the last 24 hours, but it has ceased operations to enable inspections and address ongoing water concerns. A timeline for fully restored rail operations to the West Coast is currently unavailable.
Truck operations: The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure proactively closed highways previously impacted by flooding and landslides due to worsening weather.
Marine operations: Demand for anchorages currently exceeds capacity. On Sunday morning there was a backlog of 54 ships at anchorage awaiting offloading, up from 40 on November 19. According to data from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, this includes nine container ships.
The provincial state of emergency declared by the British Columbia Minister of Public Safety remains in place.
For more information, please call David Lychek, Director – Ocean & Air Services at (905) 882-4880, ext. 1207.