Early Morning Train Collision In Frozen Minnesota – With Video
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DRESBACH, Minn. — Two Canadian-Pacific freight trains collided in southeastern Minnesota early Wednesday, derailing 40 cars, some of which plunged into the Mississippi River, authorities said. No serious injuries were reported.
The cause of the collision is under investigation, said Mike LoVecchio, a spokesman for Canadian-Pacific in Calgary, Alberta.
Some veterans at Mosher Veterans Rest Home near Dresbach were evacuated as a precaution, said Joyce Tlougan, deputy director of Winona County Emergency Management. About 25 disabled veterans live at the home.
One train engine was partially submerged in the Mississippi River, Tlougan said. It wasn’t clear whether any of the cars contained hazardous materials or were leaking anything into the river, she said.
One rail car struck a 1,000-gallon propane tank attached to a switching station, causing a small leak, authorities said. The leak prompted the veterans home evacuation, LoVecchio said.
The railroad had dispatched hazardous material professionals to the scene, LoVecchio said. But until they determined whether the rail cars contained any hazardous materials, emergency responders were focusing on the propane leak, he said.
One engine involved in the collision was leaking diesel fuel but the fluid was contained on land, Tlougan said.
Four workers operated the two trains. Two were taken to a hospital as a precaution, but all four were “safe and accounted for,” LoVecchio said.
La Crescent Fire Chief Bernie Buehler said the accident happened about 5:30 a.m. near the Interstate 90 exit at Dresbach. The mostly rural area includes the Mississippi River bluffs, with the rails running alongside the river.
The route running through the area is one of Canadian-Pacific’s main freight lines, used to haul everything from televisions and automotive parts to lumber, grain and agricultural supplies, LoVecchio said.
Buehler said one train coming from Portage, Wis., was pulling 100 cars. The other was coming from La Crescent and carrying 15.
The trains were traveling toward each other on the single tracks, although it’s not clear why, Tlougan said.
LoVecchio said the line includes a “siding where one train would pass another,” but he did not know what role, if any, that may have played in the crash.
The derailment disrupted Amtrak service to hundreds of passengers, said Bob Kamrowski, station manager in La Crosse, Wis.
People planning to board Amtrak trains Wednesday in Red Wing and Winona in Minnesota and La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, and Columbus in Wisconsin were being bused to either Chicago or Minneapolis, he said.
Amtrak makes two trips per day on the route blocked by the derailment.
“They are telling me one day (of disruption),” Kamrowski said. “I have no idea if that is going to be the truth or not.”
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