CP Closes Line Due to Flooding

Canadian Pacific Railway temporarily shut down its line that connects the cities of Emerson and Winnipeg, after Red River flooding pushed out of North Dakota and across the Manitoba border into Canada.

CP said the Red River was overflowing its banks into a field, north of the carrier’s train yard at Emerson.

The company has been planning for this possibility for more than a week, as the river flooded Fargo and other parts of North Dakota on its way toward Emerson. Preparations included putting railcars weighted down with heavy rock onto bridges to help stabilize them against the pressure from onrushing water.

“Service on the rail line will be restored as soon as the flood threat passes, the track is inspected and it is safe to return the line to service,” CP said.

Contact John D. Boyd at jboyd@joc.com.