A train has derailed on a Calgary rail bridge that is collapsing, threatening to drop five railcars carrying a diesel-like substance into the Bow River, city officials said Thursday. The train derailed after a section of the bridge dropped 60 centimeters Thursday morning. Emergency management director Bruce Burrell said the bridge is not yet in the water but is slowly sagging into the river. "It appears that the bridge is failing," he said. Each railcar could have 36,000 kilograms of flammable product, Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc said, adding that he could not specify the liquid. A sixth car on the bridge is an empty oil tanker, he said. Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg said the bridge buckled after most of the eastbound train had crossed. "The derailed cars are all upright," he said. "There are no leaks reported and no injuries reported as a result of the incident." The bridge, southeast of downtown Calgary, typically sits about 7.5 meters above water level, though water levels remain high after last week's flood. Emergency crews are working to secure the train to prevent cars from being carried down the river in case the bridge collapses. Uzeloc said crews then hope to pull another train along a parallel bridge so the cargo can be pumped off and the empty cars can be removed with a crane.
