Rail cars removed from derailment site near Bordulac, ND

Kathy Steiner, The Jamestown Sun, N.D.
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 8—BORDULAC, N.D. — All rail cars containing hazardous materials have been removed from the immediate site of a train derailment near Bordulac, according to an official with Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway company.

Patrick Waldron, CPKC assistant vice president, communications and media relations, said in an email to media that the rail cars were safely removed on Sunday, July 7, and the remaining hot spots for the earlier fire have been extinguished.

The derailment occurred around 3:30 a.m. Friday, July 5, near Bordulac, about 10 miles southeast of Carrington. No injuries were reported. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said in an email to The Jamestown Sun that preliminary information indicates the train consisted of two locomotives and 151 cars and 29 cars derailed.

Hazardous materials reported in the derailed cars were methanol, anhydrous ammonia and plastic pellets, according to Andrew Kirking, emergency manager for Stutsman and Foster counties.

Kirking reported that as crews worked to clean up the hazardous materials cars on Sunday, air monitors detected low levels of anhydrous ammonia in the air after a rail car began venting during removal from the immediate derailment site. As a precaution, local emergency officials issued a shelter-in-place notice for residents near the derailment site. Air monitoring levels at the site and surrounding areas returned to zero Sunday morning, and the shelter-in-place notice was lifted.

Waldron said the emergency response operation has transitioned to recovery and cleanup activities. With rail cars removed and secured, work to repair the railroad track proceeded. Those repairs were completed Monday morning, July 8, and rail traffic resumed Monday following track safety inspections.

NTSB investigators arrived at the scene on Saturday, July 6. Parties to the investigation include CPKC, the Federal Railroad Administration, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and SMART-TD, the NTSB spokesman said. SMART-TD represents workers on a number of major regional transit providers, including light and heavy rail carriers in major metropolitan areas nationwide, according to smart-union.org.

A preliminary report, which includes factual information, is expected in 30 days, the NTSB spokesman said.

CPKC response crews, including environmental and hazardous materials teams, remain at the scene to continue car and site cleanup in coordination with emergency response officials.

"The health and safety of the public, emergency responders and workers remains CPKC's first priority," Waldron said. "CPKC is committed to the full restoration of the scene."

CPKC has been closely working with local, state and federal officials since the incident occurred and thanked emergency responders for their "swift and effective response assistance."