Lac-Mégantic rail bypass approved by federal tribunal

A train goes through downtown Lac-Mégantic, Que. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The Canadian Transportation Agency has approved a Lac-Mégantic rail bypass, a project the Quebec town has been promised since 2018.

The agency is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the federal transportation system. It is separate from Transport Canada, the department funding the bypass, and rules independently on applications under the Canada Transportation Act.

The decision, released Thursday, authorizes Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPRC) — which operates as CPKC — to build about 12.5 kilometres of new track on behalf of its subsidiary, Central Maine and Quebec Railway Canada Inc. (CMQR).

The bypass will divert trains away from the downtown area, where a runaway oil train derailed and exploded on July 6, 2013, killing 47 people.

“In reaching its decision, the Agency considered the location of the proposed bypass, the operational and service needs of the CPRC, and the interests and concerns raised by local and Indigenous communities. The Agency concluded that the bypass location is suitable and that the project will continue to serve the regional and national economies,” the agency said in a statement.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced last September that the project was moving into the assessment phase, referring the matter to the Canadian Transportation Agency.