FORT FRANCES, Ontario — A Canadian National Railway lift bridge in Fort Frances has collapsed, the website NWOnewswatch.com reports.
CN said in a statement to website operator Dougall Media on Wednesday, Aug. 14, that it was responding to “an incident” involving the bridge across the Rainy River that provides its connection to the Port of Thunder Bay, Ont., and that the waterway was blocked. The railroad said no train was involved in the incident and that the cause was under investigation.
In a statement on Thursday, Aug. 15, the railroad said its crews have begun repairs on the bridge, which “remains closed until further notice. Environmental crews have contained and are recovering a release of biodegradable, non-toxic hydraulic oil related to the incident.”
The CEO of the Port of Thunder Bay, Chris Heikkinen, told the CBC he expects CN will work with CPKC to insure both railroads are still able to serve the port, which primarily handles grain traffic, but that delays in service could result.
“Volumes on CN are probably 30 to 40% of the grain that the port receives,” Heikkinen told the broadcaster, “… so its a sizeable chunk.”
In 2023, the port handled 9.63 million metric tons of cargo; grain accounted for 7.26 million metric tons of that total.
According to the website historicbridges.org, the bridge, known as both the Five-Mile Bridge and the Rainy River Lift Bridge, dates to 1908 and is a single-leaf bascule bridge with a total length of 541 feet and a 134-foot main span.
— Updated Aug. 15 at 4:25 p.m. with new statement from CN; updated at 8:05 p.m. with additional information.
