The tragedy of the Halifax Explosion on December 6 , 1917 , played havoc with much of the ICR 's infrastructure in the Richmond neighbourhood of north-end Halifax . The ICR 's North Street station was heavily damaged and its Richmond Yard and shipping terminals were destroyed or rendered unusable . Hundreds of freight cars were destroyed and dozens of passenger and military hospital cars were heavily damaged . Many ICR employees , most notably train dispatcher Vincent Coleman , responded with heroism and desperate determination to evacuate wounded and summon relief . The explosion severely but only briefly hampered war-time operations at the port . The railway mobilized repair crews from across Eastern Canada to clear debris with remarkable speed and resumed its full schedule five days after the explosion , albeit with diminished passengers cars as many were severely damaged . Wharves and freight facilities were rebuilt for wartime service within a month . Construction that had begun on a second route using a vast rock cut through the south end of the Halifax peninsula to a new " Ocean Terminal " was accelerated . The ICR repaired the North Street Station to serve for another year but switched passenger service to a new south end station near the present day Halifax railway station in January 1919
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
Intercolonial Railway