Evacuation continues after UP derailment in Iowa
Iowa State Troopers said they planned to allow the fire to burn overnight after a Union Pacific train derailed and caught fire in Sibley, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon. KELO-TV reports an evacuation remains in effect in a 2½-mile radius of the derailment site, with those evacuated sheltering in the town of Ashton, 7 miles away. Sibley’s school district announced at least a 1-hour delay for the start of school on Monday, with a decision on the rest of the day still to come. About 80 people were evacuated, KELO reports. Forty-seven cars of the train, with cargo including explosive ammonium nitrate, derailed Sunday afternoon [see “UP train derails, catches fire …,” Trains News Wire, May 16, 2021].
North Dakota governor supports bridge preservation effort, says it’s difficult but doable
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has indicated his support for the effort to preserve BNSF’s Bismarck-Mandan rail bridge, which the railroad wants to demolish and replace. The Bismarck Tribune reports the governor told the newspaper’s editorial board that the bridge would be “an incredible asset” for the area and state to save, and could potentially draw “hundreds of thousands of visitors a year,” citing preserved bridges in Minneapolis and Austin, Texas, as examples. Burgum said the preservation effort would be difficult, but “I still think there’s a way to make it work.” BNSF has asked the Coast Guard, which regulates the matter since it involves a navigable waterway, to advance demolition plans, citing the failure of preservation group Friends of the Rail Bridge to make progress in accordance with an agreement between the railroad, preservation group, and Coast Guard [see “BNSF seeks end to Missouri River bridge preservation efforts …,” Trains News Wire, May 3, 2021].
Work advances on proposed Winnipeg rail park
Development of a 665-acre rail park near Winnipeg, Manitoba, is on track to see the start of construction in spring 2022, the Winnipeg Free Press reports. The rail park, part of the CentrePort Canada inland port plan, would gather companies that require frequent rail shipments in an industrial park adjacent to Canadian Pacific’s main line to create “an efficiency of service,” according to CentrePort’s CEO. Purchase of the land from the province of Manitoba has not yet closed, but planning for the project is underway by a developer. The project’s broker told the paper it is not marketing the project until the land sale closes, but it is “presenting information to qualified prospects who have shown interest in the park and I can tell you there is really strong interest from the market.”
