(The following story by Tim Harlow appeared on the Star Tribune website on November 2.)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Foundation is delivering a $50,000 apology today to residents of Clara City, Minn., for a train derailment that happened there earlier this week.
Representatives were to present the check to city officials during a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at City Hall, said City Administrator Sara Folsted.
In a letter to city officials in the town of about 1,400 people, the foundation said the gift is “a gesture of apology and appreciation for the efforts of the local responders and citizens of the community.”
On Monday, 80 train cars went off the track and one spilled hundreds of gallons hydrochloric acid. A vapor plume floated over the city, closed schools and businesses and forced several hundred residents to leave their homes for much of the day.
No one was injured in the accident. Clean up continues at the site, Folsted said.
Folsted said the money will go toward new walking and biking trails. The city needs to raise $175,000 to match funding the city received for the project through a federal transportation grant.
“This is a good start,” Folsted said. “We are grateful.”