Signage is pictured at a Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail yard in Smiths Falls, Ont., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

By The Canadian Press

Another Derailment

Cleanup underway near Cranbrook; recovery work at Kamloops-area train derailment still ongoing

Nov 30, 2025 | 4:36 PM

CRANBROOK, B.C.— Cleanup work is underway after 12 rail cars of a Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) train derailed about 16 kilometres east of Cranbrook early Saturday (Nov. 29) morning.

CPKC said the derailment occurred in a remote area of the Regional District of East Kootenay, and a preliminary assessment showed about 12 cars were involved, including some carrying wood products and three tanker cars carrying propane.

In an update Sunday, CPKC said repairs to the track are finished and the corridor has reopened to railway traffic following safety inspections.

The Ministry of Environment and Parks says most rail cars involved in the incident contain non-dangerous goods, and it notes that lumber from one broken rail car entered the Kootenay River.

It also says that one propane tank car, located on land, has been reported to be leaking.

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The ministry says there were no fatalities or injuries reported from the derailment, and the railway company says the cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

An evacuation order issue issued by the Regional District of East Kootenay for properties along the Kootenay River was lifted later Saturday evening.

This is the second major CPKC train derailment in B.C. in November, following the 17-car derailment near Cherry Creek on Nov. 1. That incident led to over 70,000 litres of aviation fuel being spilled into Kamloops Lake, though there were no impacts to water intakes.

Work to recover gypsum that was spilled is still ongoing, with crews currently focused on clearing away the bulk of gypsum that is not underwater.

“Operations to recover the gypsum released to the water will follow,” the Ministry said in an update. “Shoreline treatment is ongoing. Flushing operations have been successful in removing contaminants from the shoreline.”

At a public meeting in Savona on Nov. 10, CPKC said a rockslide may be partially to blame for the derailment, though the railway’s Indigenous relations and government affairs director Mike LoVecchio added the exact cause is still under investigation.

The next update on the Kamloops-area derailment is expected to come on Dec. 4.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2025.

– With files from Victor Kaisar/CFJC Today