CP says Minnesota derailment could be cleaned up in weeks
Just days after city officials said cleanup of a March 7 Canadian Pacific derailment in Plymouth, Minn., could last into the summer, a new estimate says the work could be done in about four weeks. The Sun Sailor newspaper reports the change reflects a determination removal of the cars damaged in the derailment will not require construction of a temporary road. “After carefully assessing the railcars and working with the Federal Railroad Administration, CP is now able to remove the cars from the site by rail at low speed,” CP spokesman Andy Cummings said. “This will involve 24/7 operations and will generate some noise. We regret the inconvenience to the public and will try reduce the duration of this work if we’re able to do so safely.” Some of the work will be dependent on improved ground and weather conditions, he said. The 22-car derailment involved cars carrying asphalt, sulphur, and lumber, but no hazardous-materials situation or injuries resulted [see “Derailment blocks Canadian Pacific main line …,” Trains News Wire, March 8, 2021].
Two protesters arrested as Vancouver, B.C., police clear rail blockade
Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, arrested two protesters Saturday while clearing a blockade of Canadian National tracks that lasted for several hours. The CBC reports that the protest by a group called the Braided Warriors was over expansion of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, from Alberta to Wisconsin. Police informed the protesters they were violating an injunction obtained by CN and warned they were subject to arrest; when police began to disperse the group, one woman was arrested for allegedly spitting on police offers and faces charges of assaulting a police offer, while a second was arrested for breach of peace, a Vancouver police spokesman said.
Ironworker seriously injured in electrocution accident at LIRR station
An ironworker was seriously injured in an electrocution accident at a Long Island Rail Road project in Mineola, N.Y., on Saturday, the New York Post reports. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the female worker was part of a crew building a pedestrian bridge at the Mineola station when a crane hit a high-voltage power line, creating an arc that injured the contract employee. She was hospitalized in critical condition. MTA Construction & Development President Janno Lieber said the work at the site has been stopped pending an investigation and review of safety procedures at the site.
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