BLAIR, Mont. – Tracks are estimated to reopen
Thursday as crews work to clean up after a BNSF Railway train derailment
Tuesday afternoon.
Nine
rail cars derailed about 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time near Blair, about 50
miles west of Williston, N.D., and 40 miles east of Wolf Point, Mont.,
said BNSF spokesman Matt Jones.
The train was not
carrying any hazardous materials, but had some empty tank cars with
residue of ethyl alcohol and liquefied petroleum gas, Jones said.
The derailed cars remained upright, he said.
The train was carrying a mix of freight and was headed east from Pasco, Wash., to Minneapolis, Jones said.
Crews
were working to repair about 1 mile of track that was damaged in the
derailment, Jones said. BNSF estimates the track will reopen mid-day
Thursday.
BNSF is investigating the cause of the derailment, Jones said. No one was hurt.
Amtrak
service was disrupted as a result of the derailment. Buses are
transporting passengers to stops between Wolf Point and Minot, N.D.,
said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
Passengers are experiencing lengthy delays, in some cases as much as 12 hours, Magliari said.
After the tracks reopen, Amtrak will need to adjust equipment before normal service can resume, he said.
Recent
derailments and an increase in oil shipments from North Dakota have
called attention to the need for training for first-responders to train
accidents.
Firefighters who responded to the derailment
with the Culbertson Fire Department had completed hazardous materials
training about a month ago due to the increase in oil shipments and
other rail traffic in the area, said volunteer firefighter Travis
Northington.
Firefighters didn’t initially know if the
three tank cars that derailed contained hazardous materials, so they
proceeded with caution and used what they’d learned in training, he
said. The other six cars that derailed were empty box cars, Northington
said.
“We stayed at a far distance and made sure it was empty before we proceeded further,” he said.
Six
oil tankers derailed near Heimdal, N.D., on May 6, and the fire and
smoke plume prompted nearby residents to evacuate the area. Oil tankers
also derailed near Casselton, N.D., in December 2013, causing a massive
fireball and the voluntary evacuation of the town.