MRL derailment cleanup nears completion

Investigations are still underway as to the cause of the Montana Rail Link derailment of 23 freight cars in late August of this year.

According to MRL Public Information Officer Lynda Frost, cleanup of the area is mostly complete and should be finished within the next two weeks.

“There are still some two-by-fours there,” Frost said. “But they are in the process of getting that cleaned up.”

According to Frost, the line is in use and there have been no more delays or reroutes as a result of the accident. Frost said it is difficult to say how long the investigation will take, but they are looking into it.

The train derailed in the early morning on Wednesday, August 28, dropping two-by-fours and wood chips across the hillside and putting four freight cars in the Clark Fork River. Due to the remoteness of the site, initial estimates on when the tracks would be cleared were delayed because of challenges in getting the necessary equipment to the area.