Nearly Fifty Train Cars Derail Near Williston
Nearly fifty train cars derailed near Williston Friday.
First the good news: first-responders reported Friday there were no injuries to report, and no hazardous chemicals were involved.
That being said, local authorities had a serious mess on their hands; NBC North Dakota News reports The fire department, EMS and BNSF crews all responded to the accident.
The weekend cleanup took long enough that Amtrak had to be re-routed.
BNSF authorities said they believed one train jumped the track, running into a second train causing more cars to derail.
Just a few weeks ago, two Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains and four rail cars came off the rails west of Jamestown.
USA Today reported just last week the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine had called for a nationwide upgrade of the railroad track system to prevent derailments, particularly where hazardous shipments are involved.
[Source: KFYR-TV News, USA Today]