(The following article by Laurie Blake and Jim Adams was posted on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune website on December 19.)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A day after a freight train derailed in the same stretch of track that will be shared by commuter trains, a transit official said the entire route will be inspected and certified safe before passenger service begins in 2009.
The investigation of the accident Sunday in Coon Rapids continued to focus on a possible broken metal piece on the rail. By noon Monday, trains were running again on the repaired BNSF rails.
The director of the Northstar commuter rail line, Mark Fuhrmann, said the project includes a number of measures designed to ensure a safe ride. The line will carry passengers between Minneapolis and Big Lake.
A committee will devise a safety certification plan that will require everything connected with passenger service to be certified as safe, Fuhrmann said.