Work is ongoing to restore rail service between Fort Frances and Thunder Bay following the collapse of the 111 year old “5-Mile” lift bridge on August 14.
“CN continues to make progress removing debris, including concrete and steel, from the site of last week’s incident involving the railway bridge located several miles northeast of Fort Frances, Ont Concurrent to the work on site, engineers are assessing options for how to replace or repair the span,” stated a release from CN Rail. “Our focus is to safely and quickly restore service on the Fort Frances Subdivision, which connects CN’s network to the Port of Thunder Bay and Atikokan, Ont.”
No timeline has been provided for when the bridge may be operational. While work is underway, the waterway under the bridge is closed to marine traffic. The Town of Fort Frances has asked boaters to avoid the area.
“CN wishes to thank community members for avoiding this area while this work is underway,” stated the release.
Since the collapse, environmental crews, with the assistance of first responders, have contained and recovered a release of biodegradable, non-toxic hydraulic oil related to the incident.
Until the bridge is in operation, CN is working with customers impacted by the closure, and has rerouted rail traffic where possible.
No trains were involved in the incident, no injuries have been reported and the cause of the collapse remains under investigation. CN stated it will continue to update the public as work progresses.
