DULUTH, Minn. — A February derailment of 40 cars of a loaded coal train near Cloquet, Minn., was caused by a broken wheel, BNSF Railway has determined.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that the railway determined the cause through its own investigation and reported the findings to the Federal Railway Administration. The FRA and National Transportation Safety Board did not investigate the non-injury accident.
The derailment of 40 cars of the 121-car train occurred about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, spilling an estimated 4,000 tons of coal along the right-of-way. Coal also went onto and into the frozen St. Louis River. A BNSF spokeswoman told the newspaper that about “99 percent” of the coal has been recovered. The remaining portion will be removed as weather permits.
