Port of Vancouver rail service may resume by Tuesday after last week’s storm

Canadian Pacific Railway indicated in an advisory on Sunday night that it may be able to restore service to the Port of Vancouver by Tuesday evening. Last week’s flooding and landslides caused major damage to railroads and roads in the province. A state of emergency was declared on November 17 by the British Columbia Minister of Public Safety and evacuation orders for multiple communities remain in place in flood-stricken areas.

Canadian National Railway continues to clear debris and undertake repairs to damaged infrastructure. CN has not announced when its operations to and from Vancouver may resume.

The port reported on Friday that anchorage demand is high and nearing capacity across all vessel types.

Intermittent openings of one highway route are allowing some commercial vehicles to transit westbound from Hope, B.C. to Vancouver. Reconstruction and repairs on all major roadways from the B.C. interior continue.

The Canada Border Services Agency has worked with US Customs and Border Protection to develop emergency protocols to allow Canadian domestic truck carriers to transit through the US to reach destinations in Canada.

The weather forecast for B.C. calls for more heavy rain and strong winds this week.