Similar to the highway systems, CN and CP Rail both say trains between the southern Interior and the coast are not running because of mudslides on their tracks.
CN Rail says there have been several mudslides and washouts on its line through the Fraser Valley, caused by heavy rains.
“CN’s crews are ready to safely tend to the affected sites but await a stabilization of conditions to begin work,” a statement from the company says. “CN will continue to monitor the affected sites and will begin construction efforts once it is deemed safe to do so.”
In a shorter statement, CP Rail says it is “experiencing a track outage” north of Hope, which has forced its trains to stop running. It says there’s no estimate for when its trains will be back in service.
The full extent of damage to rail tracks is not immediately clear.
The movement of goods throughout B.C. would be greatly affected for Monday; apart from the rail closures, all highways to and from coastal B.C. are closed as of early Monday afternoon. The Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt is expected to be closed for at least several days, as a result of part of the freeway being completely washed out north of Hope.
The washouts and mudslides are a result of heavy rain that has persisted since Saturday night and caused catastrophic flooding in parts of southern B.C. The heavy rainfall – more than 200 millimetres in some areas – has been exacerbated by melting snow at higher elevations.