(The Associated Press circulated the following article on January 28.)
FRYBURG, N.D. — Railroad crews began repairing tracks Wednesday after a coal train derailed near the southern part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The 109-car train was headed to Minnesota from a mine in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, said Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Gus Melonas. Eleven cars derailed at about 8 p.m. Tuesday, about five miles west of Fryburg.
No injuries were reported, and officials were unsure how much coal was spilled at the site. The cause was not known Wednesday afternoon.
Ten cars were on their side and another was upright but off the tracks, Melonas said. Workers used heavy equipment to move the derailed cars away from the tracks.
“We’ll determine if we can re-rail cars. The majority will be shoved off to the side,” Melonas said.
The derailed cars will be removed in the next few weeks, he said. Some may be scrapped if they are too damaged to be used again.
Officials expected to reopen the rail line Wednesday night. The cold weather was not expected to significantly slow the work, Melonas said.
“In that area, we deal with cold conditions regularly, year after year,” he said.