Updated: July 26, 11 a.m. Mountain Time
By Justin Franz
Canadian National reopened its main line through Alberta on Friday morning, two days after a wildfire made a run toward the resort town of Jasper, forcing the freight railroad to suspend operations and impacting VIA Rail Canada and Rocky Mountaineer passenger services.
On Monday, the town of Jasper was evacuated because of multiple wildfires burning nearby. Then, on Wednesday night, one of those fires made a dramatic run into town. On Thursday, the extent of the damage was unclear, but Mayor Richard Ireland reported that the destruction was “beyond description and comprehension.”
Earlier this week, CN closed its main line through Jasper but was able to briefly reopen it Wednesday afternoon. However, as the fire made a run for town a few hours later, the railroad was once again forced to close. Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson for CN, said the situation was “dynamic” and changing rapidly.
“Early reports indicate the wildfires caused significant damage to the town. We stand in support and solidarity with the community, home to many of our CN team members and their families,” she said. “CN is coordinating with the Unified Command Centre and remains engaged with all parties responding to this incident. We will continue to monitor changes to weather and fire patterns closely.”
While the main line was closed, some high-priority trains were detoured via CPKC’s main line to the south. While there have been reports that CN did lose some buildings in Jasper, it appears the depot and platform used by VIA were not damaged.
Jasper is a stop for VIA’s Toronto to Vancouver Canadian and it is the origin of its Price George and Prince Rupert services. VIA announced that Canadian service was suspended between Vancouver and Edmonton until at least next week. Trains 5 and 6 (Jasper to Prince George and Prince Rupert services) will not run between Jasper and Prince George for the rest of the week, and be canceled in their entirety through next week. The Rocky Mountaineer tour train also announced that it would not be running to Jasper until further notice. Instead, passengers would be rebooked on tours to Banff and Lake Louise, along the CPKC route.
It could take days to understand the true scope of the damage in Jasper, especially as fires continue to burn around town. One structure that reportedly did survive was the Jasper Park Lodge, a historic railroad hotel built by CN in the 1920s.
