Sask. mayor says derailment near village was second in same spot in five years

A train derailment on Wednesday morning was "a little unnerving," according to the mayor of Landis, who noted the derailment took place at the outer limits of the Saskatchewan village.

"I think everybody's a little concerned and upset today because it's just five years ago we had the exact same thing in the exact same location," said Travis Kolenosky.

The train derailment took place just after 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning, involving 40 hopper cars carrying grain as well as two locomotives positioned in the middle of the train. No dangerous goods were on board and there were no injuries, Canadian National Railway said in a statement.

However, Kolenosky said his greater worry is about trains carrying oil. He pointed to the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. 

"The explosion in Quebec, everybody's got that in their mind, always. I hear it around town, always." 

Kolenosky said he was downtown when he heard the sound of the train derailment, which he described as similar to "wood shredding and thunder." 

While a fire crew was dispatched, he said CN had its own crew respond to the site.

He said his hope was to see the village meet with CN officials, talk about the fire department and its equipment needs and come to some decisions about responding to similar emergencies. 

Kolenosky said that he also hoped to see the trains slow down as they pass the village.

"I know they're making them longer, and more of them. But they also move through here at a pretty good clip through town; they don't slow down at all."

Cleanup and an investigation into the cause of the derailment are underway.

The rail line remained closed early Wednesday afternoon.

Landis has a population of about 160 people, and is located 121 kilometres west of Saskatoon.