Crews rush to repair southern Interior rail lines damaged by washouts, mudslides

The heavy rain and mudslides in southern B.C. have disrupted both highway infrastructure and rail lines.

Canadian National Railway tracks are out of use due to mudslides and washouts, which has affected both Fraser Canyon rail lines and northbound tracks toward Prince George.

"Crews are inspecting the affected areas and carrying out repairs which are critical to the passage of railway traffic through southern B.C.," Canadian National Railway spokesperson Mathieu Gaudreault said in a written statement.

READ MORE: Supply lines broken by flooding have people in Kamloops stocking up perishables, and toilet paper

North of Hope, Canadian Pacific Railway lines are out of use since storms on Nov. 15 devastated the Lower Mainland and southern Interior.

"CP is experiencing a track outage north of Hope affecting rail service to the region," CP spokesperson Salem Woodrow said in a written statement.

Both Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway operate rail tracks through the Fraser Canyon, while Canadian National operates another rail line north from Vancouver toward Prince George.

READ MORE: Storm leaves 10,000 without power across southern Interior

Both rail lines through the Fraser Valley travel through Kamloops before reaching the Lower Mainland.

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority says there is no rail traffic between Kamloops and Vancouver.

There is at least one partial derailment on a Canadian Pacific track.

The major trading route through the Fraser Canyon was previously hampered by the recent wildfire season, especially after the wildfire that devastated the village of Lytton in July.

— With files from The Canadian Press.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.