Freight train derails

Photo: The Canadian Press

A freight train derailment east of Kingston, Ont., has caused hours of delays for rail passengers in the province.

Via Rail says trains travelling between Toronto and Montreal or Ottawa are delayed by at least six hours.

The delay came about when two cars at the back of a Canadian National Railway train carrying paper derailed just east of Kingston at 1:20 p.m.

CN spokesman Patrick Waldron says one of the cars is upright while another is on its side across the tracks, adding that crews are working to remove the vehicles and repair any track damage.

Via spokeswoman Marie-Anna Murat says 647 people were on passenger trains at the time of the derailment, and more than a thousand are believed to be affected by the delays.

Murat says all trains on the route are cancelled for the evening, adding passengers can either exchange their tickets or receive a full refund.

Murat says Via Rail has provided buses and other forms of alternate transport for most of the passengers stranded at the time of the derailment.

Waldron did not provide an estimate for when the derailed freight cars would be removed.