The risk to public safety after a rail derailment Thursday morning hasn’t increased but because of smoke the residents of Guernsey remain evacuated as of Friday afternoon.

And a written response from the Government of Saskatchewan indicates their main focus remains fire suppression. Despite that, the movement of rail cars and clean up of leaked oil is underway.

On Highway 16 near the train derailment expect a delay of up to 30 minutes. From the Junction of Highway 20 north to the Junction of Highway 2 there is police on site and you need to be prepared to stop. The detour goes north on Highway 20 to Grid 340 then South on Grid Range Road 2233.

The train was pulling around 104 cars, 31 of which derailed. The accident is not far from the site of a train derailment in December involving 33 tanker cars and 1 hopper car.

Yesterday, Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau  issued a Ministerial Order to immediately slow down trains carrying dangerous goods across the country.  The Ministerial Order requires the slowdown of key trains, which contain 20 or more cars carrying dangerous goods. In metropolitan areas, these trains will be limited to 32 kilometres per hours. Outside these areas, trains will be limited to 40 kilometres per hour.

Provincial Environmental Protection Officers on site are assessing the impact of the derailment, crude oil spill and fire.

(CJWW)