COLUMBUS- Cleanup continued Wednesday in Columbus where a coal train derailed on the tracks late Tuesday night.
The derailment happened at about 11 p.m., according to Montana Rail Link spokesman Jim Lewis.
An estimated 40 cars fell off the track along Highway 78, and authorities are still investigating to determine the cause.
Now cleanup is the priority, according to Lewis, and rail crews were seen dismantling crumpled aluminum train cars and separating coal in the process.
Roads that cross the railroad tracks were closed Wednesday morning but opened by the afternoon.
The derailment didn’t interrupt service, according to Lewis.
Trains have shifted their route and are still moving on Montana Rail Link lines along Montana’s Hi-Line.
However, there is concern of possible environmental damage caused by the spill.
Lewis said coal did fall from one of the open rail cars and into a stream of the Yellowstone River.
“We call in our environmental contractor Olympus. They come in and do environmental remediation to ensure that no additional coal is getting into the waterway,” said Lewis.
The cleanup should last until Thursday.
- Reported by Andrea Lutz
