The cleanup of a train derailment continues in northwest Iowa. Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis says the track has been repaired and trains are moving through the area again, but the 23 train cars that derailed Monday morning will be there for a while.
“It will probably take 10 days to two weeks to get those removed from the area,” Davis said. “We bring in a crane and either load them on flat cars or cut them up for scrap right there.” Around half of the 23 cars are salvageable, according to Davis. It’s still unclear what caused the derailment.
“Crews are still determining the cause. They had to replace about 800 feet of track that was damaged as a result of the derailment,” Davis said. All of the freight cars involved in the derailment were empty. No one was injured. The train was on its way from Texas to Valley Park, Minnesota.
By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City