River Watch 2008 / Major flood warning (08/04/30)

April 30, 2008 -
FREDERICTON (CNB) - River Watch 2008 and the Department of Public Safety's New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization are issuing a major flood warning to all areas along the St. John River, effective today, Wednesday, April 30, 2008.
Persons living or working along all streams, tributaries and rivers in the St. John River valley are asked to remain on alert, as we remain above or near flood stage in many areas. In the middle and northern basin from Saint Francois to Woodstock water levels will increase significantly and flooding could occur.
The heavy rain fall has ended over the St. John River basin. Very heavy rain fell in the north western portions of the basin with rain fall amounts in some areas in excess of 100mm (4 inches). Major increases to water flows and levels are being seen in northern and middle parts of the basin from Saint Francois to Woodstock with significant flooding being reported in the Edmundston area.
Currently, water flows and levels are increasing through out the basin with the greatest rates of increase in the northern and middle portions. This trend will continue for the next several days. Water levels are now expected to reach or exceed the 1973 levels in Fredericton and Maugerville in the next 24 hours. These levels are also expected to be reached in more southern areas as the crest moves down river.

In Fredericton, the water level was 7.28 metres at 7 a.m., and will increase significantly to 8.6 metres on Thursday and remain steady on Friday at 8.6 . Flood stage is 6.5.

Please be advised

Due to Severe Flooding East of Montreal

Below trains are expected to be delayed .

EASTWARD:

Q12221/30:        Detour        
Q12031/30:        Detour        
Q12221/01:        Next
Q12031/01:        Next


WESTWARD:

Q12311/29:        Siding Eninshore & Grand Falls        
Q12111/30:        Likely detour
Q12311/30:        Likely detour        

April 11 , 2008

Heavy snow has been falling all morning in Calgary, Alberta. This afternoon the snow is expected to change into rain however road conditions are currently torturous. We wish to inform all of our customers that due to the unseasonable temperature we are experiencing service interruptions today which may cause to have appointments rescheduled. Over the next day or two temperatures in Calgary are forecasted to go up to +20 C. We regret any inconvenience to our customers.

March 27, 2008

A derailment occurred this evening, March 26th, on CP’s main line between Calgary, AB and Golden, BC. Employees are on site and recovery efforts are currently underway. There is no line clear estimate at this time.

To maintain fluidity in the Calgary - Vancouver corridor, reroutes and detours are being employed. Shipment delays of up to 48 hours may occur until line restoration is complete. A further update will be provided when a line clear estimate is confirmed.

For further information, please contact your respective Customer Service Representative.

March 24, 2008

A derailment occurred this morning, March 23rd, on CP’s main line northwest of Golden, BC.  Line restoration work is currently underway.  Line clear is estimated for 0200 Pacific Daylight Time on March 24th. 

Shipment delays of 24 – 48 hours in the Calgary-Vancouver corridor should be expected for the first days following line clear while the traffic backlog is cleared through the area.

February 29, 2008

To All our Customers,

This winter has been extremely difficult for all of you. Our service has been well below expectation. Everyone understands that both the CN and CP Intermodal networks form an integral part of our network. This winter the weather has played havoc with our network both Over the road and by rail. Storms and extreme cold conditions have forced terminal closures, equipment breakdowns, power equipment not starting, people having to shovel out their driveways for hours before starting their days. The railroads have had to shorten trains due to extreme weather conditions. Derailments have been almost weekly events (sometimes two or more in one week) and both railroads have been playing catch up since about December 01, 2007.

The past couple of weeks the railroads networks have been in the worst shape that they have ever been. In many cases entire trains have been cancelled and in several cases depending on train destination they have been cancelled multiple days in a row. Trains continue to depart with few numbers of railcars hooked up to them due to either the weather or simply due to rail equipment not being where it is needed.

This message is not being sent to panic anyone but rather to explain the issues that we are faced with. Our customer service team is trying to keep everyone posted of the delays but there have been so many delays of late that it is getting difficult to keep everyone posted on every incident as we may have sent a different message a dozen different times on the same order providing you with a different reason every day.

Both railroads have informed us that they expect to be in a much better shape next week. Trains are being prioritized and our freight is moving. Hopefully the worse is finally behind us all. In the meantime orders that are already late everyone should expect that they will continue to be late as they arrive their destination. What is happening now is that multiple trains are arriving at the respective rail terminals virtually at the same time. There is no additional equipment or staff to off-load these trains therefore it could take several more days for us to be able to get to the unit that your freight is loaded on. Then when we finally get our hands on the equipment we also are working with the same number of trucks and staff. We are trying to increase our delivery fleet on a short term but so is everyone else and there are just so many people to go around that can deliver the freight to your customers.
Confused! So are we! We value your business and we want you to know that everyone at M-O is working hard to regain your confidence in our service. We have hired more staff, we have hired more trucks, we have contracted out more trucks to some of our carrier partners. We hope that everyone realizes this.

We at M-O also understand that your customers, buyers, management etc are asking you for answers which you in turn are expecting us to provide you with a quick response. We are trying to provide you with a quick and honest response but the problem we are faced with is that the information we are being provided is often inaccurate. It is not because our partners are trying to cover the wool over our eyes but because the plans they had put together did not work as well as they thought they would and they were back to the drawing board.

Once again we want you all to know that we value your business and we are working for you! Without you we are nothing!

Sincerely
John Lepore
VP Corporate Alliances &
Market Development.

February 25, 2008

We have been informed by CP that the derailment which occurred on February 23rd, on CP’s line located near Sudbury should be cleared sometime tomorrow. At this time CP are projecting a 3 to 4 day delay in their transit schedules. In addition we have been informed that this derailment involved an intermodal train. We are aware that some of our customers freight was moving on this train. Our customer service team is currently in the process of advising all our customers who are directly involved.

We will keep you posted. Once again we apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you.

February 25, 2008

We have been informed that on Saturday February 23rd CP had a derailment near Sudbury Ontario. Clean up crews are still on the scene and at this point in time it is too early to determine when the line will be reopened. Customers are expected to expect delays of up to 48 hours due to this delay. We will keep you posted as more information is made available to us.

February 19, 2008

CN has recently been plagued by a rash of unusual weather events across our network including extreme cold in Western Canada and Northern Ontario; tornados, ice and rain in the Southern U.S.; heavy snow and rain in the Midwest and central and eastern Canada. The combined effect of these weather events have reduced velocity on our network which has in turn negatively impacted the availability of key transportation assets such as train crews and locomotives. Customers are therefore being advised to expect shipment delays.

February 13, 2008

CN have advised us that the anticipated re-opening of their line near Sioux Lookout ON has been changed from 12:00 hours to 18:00 hours.

In addition we have just been informed by CP of a derailment which occurred this morning on their line near Parry Sound, ON. CP expects to have this line opened around 04:00 tomorrow February 14, 2008.

February 13, 2008

Both railroads continue to have service issues and trains running between Central Canada and Western Canada as well as Central Canada to Eastern Canada are incurring long delays.

In addition CN had a derailment that occurred on February 12, in Northern Ontario near Sioux Lookout at 03:25 AM that will be causing further delays right across their network. At this time CN expect that this will create a delay of at least 48 hours. CN now estimate that the track will be passable in the derailed area by noon today February 13.

Hopefully the weather across the country will be improving shortly. We are still experiencing delays of 72 hours and more from/to Western Canada and delays of 48 hours into Atlantic Canada.

Today the Ottawa region and the Province of Quebec are being hit hard by another snow storm which is heading East.

As more information becomes available we will update you.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

February 8, 2008

Both CN and CP Rail are experiencing lengthy delays right across their network. The delays are due to the extreme cold weather conditions that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba endured last week and the snow storms encountered in Central and Eastern Canada this week. We would like to inform our customers that we are currently estimating that many orders will be delayed between 72 and 96 hours due to the condition of the railroads. We apologize for any inconveniance that this is causing. We are monitoring this situation and we will keep you posted as more information is made available.

January 29, 2008

Ongoing cold weather conditions across Western Canada and the Northern U.S. are currently affecting transit times for customer shipments moving through Western Canada and towards Chicago.

Western Canada is currently experiencing severe cold weather conditions. According to weather forecasts, this cold snap is expected to last all week. CN's Winter Plan is in effect. Train length restrictions are in effect throughout Western Canada. We have deployed additional equipment and staff in order to alleviate the impact of this situation, and to ensure the quickest possible return to normal operations. Traffic may be delayed in excess of 24 hours in some instances.

We will update this page as the situation develops.

Please don't hesitate to contact your Customer Support Representative or to use your regular channels to obtain more detailed information on specific shipments.

December 4, 2007 (approx. 9:10am)

Our Bathurst, NB operations and all of PEI are also closed for the day.

December 4, 2007 (approx. 9:05am)

At 0240 MT on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, there was a mainline disruption  near Uncas, AB.

The Wainwright sub is a single track section of the mainline between Edmonton and Winnipeg.

There is no estimate of track passable at this time.

M-O's Halifax terminal is currently operating however similar to our Saint John Terminal we are currently delivering within the city limits of the Greater Halifax area.

Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

December 4, 2007 (approx. 8:50am)

CN has announced that the mainline between Edmonton and Vancouver has now been cleared and they are still working on clearing the snow slides that occurred between Vancouver and Lillooet BC.

In addition the storm in New Brunswick is continuing to affect many parts of the province. Our Moncton Terminal has been closed for safety reasons. Our Saint John, NB terminal is currently operating within the city but deliveries to points such as Oromocto NB are being impeded at this time.

We will continue to keep you posted as more information becomes available.

December 4, 2007

We have been informed by CN that the derailment site just outside of Thunder Bay ON was made passable at 16:30 hours December 03, 2007.

We have now been advised of the following derailment:

The CN main line between Edmonton and Vancouver is currently blocked as a result of three snow slides that occurred west of Kamloops BC on Monday morning, December 03rd. Traffic scheduled to move through the area will be delayed by at least 24 hours.

- In addition, three snow slides have occurred along the Squamish subdivision, between Vancouver BC and Lillooet BC. Traffic along this line will be delayed by at least 24 hours.

- Environment Canada has issued a weather warning, advising that there is a likelihood of high volumes of freezing rain throughout the affected area. Such poor weather will impede recovery efforts, and CN are following the situation very closely.

The storm which hit Eastern Ontario and Quebec yesterday which caused service delays reached New Brunswick last night and our Moncton Operations was forced to remove vehicles off the road until this morning.

We will update our web-site as more information becomes available.

December 3, 2007

Our Montreal and Ottawa operations have also been affected by the storm currently hitting that region. Our Operations are functional but experiencing delays.

December 3, 2007

CN have informed us of a derailment that occurred just outside of Thunder Bay Ontario. This is the 3rd derailment in the past week that CN have had on their Northern Ontario line and this one is also affecting their mainline between Ontario and Western Canada. At this point in time CN are unable to forecast when the line will re-open but due to clean-up from the previous derailments CN are suggesting that customers add a further 24 to 48 hours in transit times (i.e. 72 to 96 hours more transit hours) to their regular schedule on all orders that were shipped out last week..

In addition CN have temporarily stopped receiving traffic at their Toronto (Brampton) Intermodal terminal for all traffic destined to Western Canada but are currently accepting traffic that is destined to the Maritime Provinces. This is a day to day issue and CN may lift the ban tomorrow.

As well due to severe snow conditions in Montreal, QC CN have informed us that they have closed their Intermodal Terminal in Montreal until 3 PM today in order to be able to properly remove and plough roads and tracks located within their terminal.

Please note that all traffic leaving via MO tonight destined to Western Canada will be moving via CP Rail.

December 1, 2007 (approx. 12:00pm)

A new update was provided by CN at 11:23 AM this morning. Apparently the area where the derailment occurred was actually cleared last night at 21:00 hours as was originally forecasted however another incident occurred which has caused another issue on the track and this is what is now causing the track not to be passable until 17:00 today. With the delays that have recently occurred CN are hoping to be back to normal operations by tomorrow December 02 however they now expect to be running t least 48 hours behind schedule.

December 1, 2007 (approx. 9:30am)

At 9AM this morning December 01 CN informed us that they encountered delays in clearing the mainline at Farlane ON (near Kenora) and they now expect the line to be re-opened at 17:00 hours tonight instead of 21:00 hours yesterday as we had been told.

CP is doing the final clean-up on the derailment that occurred within their Toronto (Vaughn) Intermodal yard and they hope to be running back to normal by tomorrow.

Customers should expect as much as a 48 hour delay to orders due to both derailments.

We regret any inconvenience that these issues have caused our customers. We will keep you posted

November 30, 2007 (approx. 5:00pm EST)

CN have informed us that the track should be cleared by 9 PM this evening and made passable.

Also, please note that CP have informed us that they have had a minor derailment in their Toronto (Vaughn) Intermodal yard today and we can expect delays on trains arriving and departing Toronto Today and over the weekend.

November 30, 2007

CN has informed us that at approximately 04:00 this morning (November 30th) they incurred another derailment a few miles further from the derailment site that they had cleared just yesterday. This derailment at this point in time is deemed to be worse than the previous one as in the area that this derailment occurred there is only one track. Therefore their mainline is blocked and no trains can pass through the derailment site until the track has been cleared. At this time CN is not able to provide us with a time that service will resume in this area. We will keep you posted!

We regret any inconvenience that this may cause you!

November 28, 2007 (approx. 5:00pm EST)

CN have now notified us that they expect that the track will now only be passable as of 12:00 hours Thursday November 29, 2007 resulting in a delay of at least 48 hours. We will keep you posted as more information is made available to us.

November 28, 2007 (approx. 3:55pm EST)

We have been informed that CN is hopefully that the track will be passable as of 23:59 November 28th. It would appear at this time that traffic may be delayed between 36 to 48 hours.

November 28, 2007

We have been informed by CN Rail that one of their trains derailed at approximately 18:00 hours yesterday near Farlane (near Kenora) ON. The derailment occurred on the CN main line which means all orders originating from Eastern and Central Canada destined to / from Western Canada are expected to incur delays of at least 24 hours. At the time this bulletin is being issued CN are not certain as to when the track will be made passable. We will update our web-site as more information is made available.

November 09, 2007

We have been advised by CN that the track has now been made passable and that we should expect delays of up to 48 hours on traffic destined to Alberta and British Columbia

November 08, 2007

We have received an update on the derailment which occurred early today near Kindersley, Saskatchewan. At this time CN expect to have the track cleared by midnight tonight and trains should resume full operations by late afternoon tomorrow November 09th. As more information is made available we will pass this information on.