FORT FRANCES — Canadian National Railway said the clean-up of debris from the Five-Mile Bridge collapse is underway.
The bridge, which collapsed on Aug. 14, is located just outside of Fort Frances.
Workers are on site and engineers are assessing their options on how to repair the bridge.
“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,” said CN spokesperson Ashley Michnowski in an email.
CN said it’s too early to confirm a reliable timeline for restoration.
Also known as the Rainy River Rail Lift Bridge, the structure collapsed shortly after a train passed over it, and while the automated system was in the process of raising it to allow boats to pass below, according to reports.
No trains were involved in the incident and no injuries were reported, according to CN. However, the bridge remains closed until further notice.
Environmental crews arrived on site shortly afterwards to recover hydraulic oil, which was described as biodegradable and non-toxic.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.
