3 rail cars derail in Missoula, spilling coal

Crews work to clean up spilled coal and repair tracks on Tuesday where three Montana Rail Link rail cars derailed. The derailment near Railroad Street West and Trade Street in Missoula. Photo: Tom Bauer/Missoulian
Crews work to clean up spilled coal and repair tracks on Tuesday where three Montana Rail Link rail cars derailed. The derailment near Railroad Street West and Trade Street in Missoula. Photo: Tom Bauer/Missoulian

Associated Press

MISSOULA, Mont. — Three cars on a Montana Rail Link train derailed in Missoula with one of the coal cars spilling some of its contents.

MRL spokeswoman Lynda Frost tells the Missoulian ( http://bit.ly/XLR53U) the train cars derailed about midnight Monday. Frost says one car was upright, one was tilted and one tipped on its side.

No one was injured. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Frost expected the derailment to be cleaned up by Tuesday evening.

A conservation group that opposes plans to increase the number of coal trains from the Powder River Basin says Tuesday’s spill is a reminder of the risks.

The Northern Plains Resource Council says the export terminals proposed in Oregon and Washington could mean up to 40 trains a day moving through Montana.

Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com