A CN locomotive makes it's way through the CN Taschereau yard in Montreal on Nov. 28, 2009.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Canadian National Railway Co. is diverting its mainline rail traffic after the collapse of a Minnesota bridge that connects the West Coast with the key hub of Chicago.
The wooden bridge, which crosses the Rat Root River near International Falls in northern Minnesota and carries about 10 per cent to 15 per cent of CN's freight volumes, burned and collapsed on Wednesday morning.
CN said it is building a replacement bridge that is expected to take three days to complete. Chicago-bound trains from Western Canada are being diverted over the top of Lake Superior and south into Michigan.
Fadi Chamoun, a Bank of Montreal analyst who covers transportation, said the stoppage could "modestly" reduce CN's second-quarter results.
"We believe this route serves as a key corridor for international intermodal volumes from Prince Rupert and Vancouver to the U.S. Midwest, as well as other commodities such as autos, potash, forest products and energy [crude, frac sand]," Mr. Chamoun said in a note to clients.
According to local news reports, the CN train was heading southbound at 12:30 a.m. when it rounded a corner and the engineer saw the wooden trestle was on fire.
"He hit the emergency brake, but obviously he couldn't stop in time," Perryn Hedlund, sheriff of Koochiching County, told the Star Tribune. "About 20 cars had passed the bridge, and then he of course comes to a stop on a burning bridge, which creates a whole new issue."
Two potash hopper cars were on the bridge when it collapsed. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, CN spokesman Brent Kossey said.
"The two rail cars involved in the incident have been removed from the bridge wreckage above the river," Mr. Kossey said, adding the cars remained intact.
CN's safety record has come under new scrutiny after two oil trains derailed and exploded in Northern Ontario in the winter. Cleanup costs related to one of the crashes reduced CN's first-quarter profit by three cents a share.
CN shares were down almost 2 per cent in late trading on Thursday.
Eric Atkins