Heavy cranes and bulldozers are heading to a major CN Rail freight train derailment east of Toronto.

A worker inspects the site of the freight train derailment. The toppled cars were visible from the nearby highway.
(Canadian Press)

The derailment took place late Thursday morning in Pickering near Ajax, sending 32 cars off the tracks. It caused disruptions for east-bound commuters and those travelling to Ottawa.

Heavy weather has made matters worse: A storm with a treacherous mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain has rolled in from the United States.

"I don't think [the derailment] could happen at a worse time because we are actually in the city getting ready for an ice storm … and they're trying to deal with this at the same time," Tom Quinn with the City of Pickering said earlier in the day.

"I don't think I would want to be at the east end of the City of Toronto trying to come through Pickering to get to Ajax or Oshawa," Quinn said. "It's going to be a huge problem."

Pickering city officials said CN told them the site would be cleaned up within 24 hours.

Two cars were carrying hazardous materials — batteries in one, phosphoric and hydrochloric acid in the other — but there have been no leaks and police say there are no safety concerns.

However, about 100 litres of diesel fuel spilled at the site, likely from the train's engine, and a natural gas line was severed, but was quickly turned off, officials said.

Traffic moving at a crawl

The derailment happened near Highway 401 in Pickering, east of Toronto.
(Dwight Friesen/CBC)

Traffic slowed to a crawl on Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, as motorists craned their heads to catch a glimpse of the accident. The highway runs parallel to the track where the accident happened.

The regional train service, GO Transit, stopped running trains heading east past the Pickering station, replacing them with buses. GO Transit runs its trains on CN lines.

VIA Rail service between Toronto and Ottawa was also disrupted, with passengers being sent by bus to Oshawa from Union Station, a distance of about 50 kilometres, where they continued by train.

Damage to the train is estimated to be around $1 million, and $300,000 for the tracks, Quinn said.