Delays caused by freight train derailment near Kingston, Ont., have subsided

KINGSTON, Ont. – Via Rail says its trains are back on schedule after a freight train derailment delayed trips between Toronto and Montreal or Ottawa for hours on Saturday.

The widespread delays 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.

The incident caused hours of delays for rail passengers across the province on Saturday, but Via spokeswoman Marie-Anna Murat says there aren’t any delays expected between Toronto and Montreal or Ottawa.

Murat says 647 people were on passenger trains at the time of the derailment, and more than a thousand were believed to be affected by Saturday’s delays.

Murat says all trains on the route were cancelled that evening, and passengers were given the option of either exchanging their tickets or receiving a full refund.

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