MONTREAL — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it found several deficiencies in a stretch of CN Rail tracks near the site of a train derailment northeast of Montreal.

The federal agency deployed a team to investigate the railway tracks after 49 wagons derailed on the edge of a residential area in Repentigny, Que. on July 5.

A letter the safety board sent to Transport Canada’s director of rail safety on July 10 says investigators examined the tracks at the site of the derailment and eight other sections.

The safety advisory says rail anchors were missing or had displaced in a few areas, while several ties were skewed.

The report also says the rail showed signs of friction from the spikes against the ties, and the rails shifted by as much as almost nine cm in some spots.

The report says these structural issues could have impacted the train’s stability and increased the risk of derailment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.