CN Rail Bridge Burns Causes Derailment

INTERNATIONAL FALLS – A wooden rail crossing bridge near International Falls Minnesota has burnt, causing one of CN Rails busiest crossings to be temporarily closed. That closure has halted CN Rail traffic at the bridge, which is a major connection point between Chicago and the West Coast for the railway. Canadian National Railway spokesman Brent Kossey stated that “The crew of a southbound train approaching the bridge reported a fire on the trestle just after 12:30AM. The train stopped after it had crossed the bridge”.

The fire is under investigation, with authorities not ruling out any possible causes of the fire.

The bridge which is located in Koochiching County Minnesota is owned by Canadian National Railway. Traffic over the bridge averaged over twenty trains daily.

In Thunder Bay a fire at the James Street Bridge in 2013 has caused the closure of that bridge to vehicle traffic but trains are continuing to run over the 104 year old bridge. CN Rail and the City of Thunder Bay are headed to court over the extended closure of the bridge which connected Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation.