LYTTON, B.C. — Less than 24 hours after Canadian National reopened its fire-damaged main line in British Columbia, that line has been shut down again — as has the former British Columbia Railway line that had been used to reroute some traffic.
Bloomberg reports CN informed customers on Wednesday that it was suspending operations between Kamloops and Lytton, B.C., because of fires in the area, according to a letter to customers viewed by the news service. Fires also threatened the Vancover-Squamish-Prince George line, the letter said.
The town of Lytton was almost completely destroyed by a fire in late June that also damaged CN’s main line, including a key bridge at Lytton. The railroad had just completed repairs and reopened the line at 7 p.m. PDT on Tuesday [see “CN main line in British Columbia to reopen …,” Trains News Wire, July 13, 2021].
Canadian Pacific informed customers Wednesday evening that it was continuing to run a limited number of trains through the region, and that shipments remain subject to delays. Two embargoes imposed by the railroad — one for interchange at North Vancouver, B.C., and one for traffic to Vancouver and North Vancouver — remain in effect.
— Updated at 2:45 p.m. CDT with status of Canadian Pacific service.
There are so many dead (and drying) trees in BC from the pine beetle that half the province could burn up. When I was at a lodge outside Jasper a few years ago I asked why the dead trees weren’t cut down. They said the cut trees had to be burned and that could only be done in the spring and fall.