Saskatchewan farmers struggling to ship their crops were dealt another blow Thursday afternoon when a train derailed near Nipawin.
The train was hauling grain on the privately owned Torch River Rail, a short line that runs about 45 kilometres from Nipawin to Choiceland, Sask., when four cars derailed.
The track broke in at least one section.
“We were scheduled on the next train run. I heard about the derailment then just took the trucks home,” said Ryan Reid, a farmer from the area who was hoping to move oats. “It’s not so much the cars. It’s the fact that the track is wrecked for a section now.”
Officials with the Torch River track said Saturday they were not yet sure when the line would re-open. Cleanup was still underway Saturday morning.
Reid said the derailment only adds to the frustration farmers across the province have felt this winter as they attempt to move their crops. A friend of his was hauling wheat in one of the cars that tipped.
“It just makes a lengthy process even more lengthy,” he said. “Most of the grain was supposed to be gone months ago and we’re still waiting on cars. It’s just been slow.”
Grain has been stalled at railways across the prairies for several months as a cold and snowy winter caused a higher-than-expected grain yield to backlog. The backlog only recently started to show signs of easing.
“If we can’t move it, we don’t get paid,” said Reid.
