VIA Rail Train 14 "The Ocean"

Brian Teepell/USPA 24 News - The Ocean 15/14 provides service from Halifax to Montreal and in reverse 3 days a week.
The Ocean's route provides service to the following communities; Halifax, Truro, Amherst, Moncton, Miramichi, Bathurst, Campbellton, Matapedia, Mont-Joli, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Sainte Foy and Montreal. In Montreal, passengers are able to make connections with other trains for many destinations throughout Canada.

In the early hours of Monday morning, The Ocean, a VIA Rail train led by VIA F40PH-3 6435, was involved in a derailment after colliding with two semi-trailer trucks in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, located in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region. At the time of the incident, 1:30 a.m., four people were asleep in the trucks and, fortunately, escaped uninjured.

The 124 Via Rail passengers onboard the train were evacuated, and taken to the local city hall before resuming their journey to Halifax by bus.

The passengers of another VIA train heading in the opposite direction also had to be transferred to buses for the rest of their trip because the track was blocked.

The Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the incident, which saw the train's first five cars derail. According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the truck drivers had parked too close to the railroad tracks. VIA Rail issued an apology to the affected passengers and said it is collaborating with the investigations.