On the morning of Saturday, July 6th, 2013, the downtown area of Lac-Megantic in Quebec was met with a devastating accident. When a train car derailed and then exploded, more than fifteen people were killed and at least 30 buildings were reduced to ruins. There are still at least 40 people missing. Residents of the area lost their homes, places of business and favorite shops in town, including the grocery store, municipal library and the town’s most popular bar.
This bustling area of Quebec is home to 6,000 residents and is 250 kilometers from popular Montreal. Known as a historic center, Lac-Megantic was build around train tracks and is close to the U.S. border. What was once a charming, bustling village is now unrecognizable. Now, there’s mainly a no-travel zone surrounding city hall and a pharmacy that’s still standing. It’s still somewhat of a mystery what happened, especially since the train was inspected just one day before the accident. There is currently a criminal investigation under way.
With so many possessions now gone forever, Quebec’s residents have to find a way to return their lives to normal. It stands to reason that several people are going to need to find transportation if their cars were wrecked in the accident. Renting a car may be a necessity, but there’s no reason to pay top dollar, especially in such a difficult, harrowing time.
At this time, people are likely worried about taking mass transit, making it a popular time for drivers to rent cars if they have no other means of transportation. For long trips, when taking a train is a possibility, drivers seem to feel more secure driving themselves to their destination. Whatever your concerns are about traveling, just try to be safe