The Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation into a derailment last December involving the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway line not far from Sept-Iles.
The 240 cars were loaded with iron ore.
The TSB was unable to determine with certainty what caused the crash or the condition of the track given the extent of the derailment, the difficulty in accessing the site, and the content of the cars.
A map of where the incident occurred (D-maps.com with annotations by the Transportation Safety Board)
As well, about 1,000 litres of fuel spilled but no significant quantity of iron ore ended up on the frozen surface of the nearby river, located below the west side of the railway tracks
There were no injuries.
(Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway, with TSB annotations)
The TSB says it’s likely that the rail broke at mile 37, causing the derailment. All the cars which upset were heavily damaged and about 500 feet of track was destroyed.
It was about a week before the railway was operational again.
