Canadian National train derails in Manitoba, leaks oil

A Canadian National Railway Co train derailed early on Saturday in Western Canada, leaking an undetermined volume of crude oil, the company said. Thirty-seven tank cars derailed near St-Lazare, Manitoba. The leak has been contained and has not entered the nearby Assiniboine River, CN spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said in a statement.

There were no injuries or fires, he said, adding that CN was preparing to clean up the spill and remediate the environment. The derailment comes as crude oil shipments by rail in Canada reached a record high late last year, after oil production expanded in the western province of Alberta and plugged up pipelines.

Crude transport by rail is generally considered less safe than pipelines, although there was also a leak this month in TransCanada Corp's Keystone pipeline in Missouri. Also this month, a parked Canadian Pacific Railway grain train rolled down a steep embankment in British Columbia, killing three crew members.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board, which regulates the rail industry, said it was deploying investigators to the site of the Manitoba train derailment. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba Editing by Marguerita Choy)