PUEBLO, Colo. — A broken rail is believed to have caused the derailment of a BNSF coal train near Pueblo on Sunday that led to the death of a truck driver on Interstate 25, according to preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Colorado Sun news site reports NTSB investigators determined the broken rail was just east of a bridge that collapsed as a result of the derailment, falling onto a truck below and killing the driver. Some 30 cars of the 124-car train derailed, with a half-dozen or more ending up on the northbound lanes of I-25 and spilling their coal across the highway. I-25 remains closed and could be for several days, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement on Monday [see “One killed in coal-train derailment …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 15, 2023]. BNSF is saying derailment cleanup could be completed Wednesday, after which the Colorado Department of Transportation will assess what repairs are needed to reopen the highway.
NTSB investigators are continuing to work to determine why the rail broke and why signal systems did not alert crews to the problem, the agency said. The NTSB generally releases a preliminary investigation report — establishing basic facts of the incident — within 30 days, but can take up to two years to complete a final report addressing causes and recommended actions.
The Associated Press reports BNSF has not said when it last inspected the track where the derailment occurred and did not immediately respond to questions or requests regarding inspection information.
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