Train Tears Through Semi-Trailer East of Taber in Incident Caught on Camera
Most people drive past rail crossings without giving them a second thought. On Tuesday afternoon in southern Alberta, one driver got a front-row seat to exactly why that's a mistake.
At 2:17 p.m. on March 17, a CPKC train tore through the back of a semi-trailer at a crossing on Range Road 160 alongside Highway 3, near the hamlet of Fincastle about 55 kilometres east of Lethbridge and roughly 100 kilometres west of Medicine Hat. A bystander driving past had their camera rolling. In the video which spread quickly on social media you can hear the train horn sounding before impact and see the semi's trailer sitting squarely across the tracks. Then the train hits it.
The person filming is heard swearing in disbelief.
How It Happened
According to Taber-Vauxhall RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, the semi driver stopped at the crossing marked by a stop sign, not a gate or flashing lights and then pulled forward onto the tracks directly in front of the oncoming train. The train had no chance of stopping in time.
That last part is worth understanding. The average loaded train travelling at highway speed needs up to two kilometres to come to a full stop. By the time an engineer sees something on the tracks, physics has already decided what happens next.
No serious injuries were reported. RCMP notified CPKC and the train crew was stopped following the collision.
The Ticket
The semi driver was issued a careless driving ticket with a fine of $852.
The Bigger Picture
This wasn't a freak accident. In 2024 alone, 35 train collisions were reported at railway crossings across Alberta. Twelve of them were fatal. RCMP have pointed out repeatedly that most of these collisions are preventable and that passive crossings marked only with a stop sign are routinely underestimated by drivers.
Southern Alberta's Highway 3 corridor runs parallel to active CPKC rail lines for much of its length between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, with dozens of at-grade crossings along rural roads. Tuesday's collision is a reminder of what's at stake at every one of them.
Trains always have the right of way. They can't swerve, they can't brake fast, and they don't get smaller as they get closer.
The semi driver got a ticket. It could have been much worse.
