'Out of respect,' no trains will carry crude oil through Lac-Mégantic in 2016
Quebec community focuses on rebuilding from 2013 disaster that killed 47
Trains passing through the town of Lac-Mégantic, Que., won't carry crude oil until next year, Transport Minister Marc Garneau has confirmed.
Garneau visited the community over the weekend to inaugurate the town's Reconstruction Office, as Lac-Mégantic moves ahead with rebuilding its downtown core.
Much of the downtown was destroyed when a train carrying crude oil careened into the centre of town, derailed and exploded on July 6, 2013.
The disaster left 47 people dead.
Trains started to roll through the Lac-Mégantic again in the winter of 2013, but with stricter rules banning hazardous materials.
The Central Maine & Quebec Railway (CMQ) was supposed to start transporting crude oil through the town this month, but it's agreed to a delay.
Garneau told a crowd at the inauguration ceremony that he had spoken with the head of the CMQ.
"He told me that he will continue, out of respect for the citizens of Lac-Mégantic, to suspend the transport of crude oil through your community … until the end of 2016," Garneau said.
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