ERICSBURG – Just days after a fire that destroyed a trestle bridge over the Rat Root River, Canadian National has restored service to one of its busiest rail lines.

The railroad erected a temporary bridge over the river and is currently constructing a permanent replacement for the trestle bridge. The temporary bridge was in operation by late Friday.

“Trains are being rerouted over a temporary structure and the bridge that was destroyed will be replaced,” said CN spokeswoman Emily Harner. “In the meantime, trains are operating normally over the CN network.”

The temporary disruption in rail service forced CN to use other rail lines to transport cargo and all but eliminated train traffic through Orr and Cook.

“It was pretty quiet,” said Orr Councilor Bruce Black.

Cook Assistant City Clerk Cindy Palm also said the reduction in train traffic was noticeable in her city.

The collapsed trestle was on a major rail line that sees as many as two dozen trains a day.

The fire was reported at about 12:30 a.m. on May 27 by the crew of a southbound train. The crew spotted the fully engulfed bridge as the train rounded a corner. Although they engaged the train’s emergency brakes, by the time the train came to a stop, several cars were in the fire. The crew got the train moving again, but those cars were stranded on the bridge.

The trestle gave way a couple of hours later and two rail cars were left dangling over the river.

By Thursday, crews had removed the two rail cars, which were carrying potash, a nonflammable farm fertilizer. Both cars remained intact and never entered the river, according to railroad and law enforcement officials.

“We escaped a bullet there,” said Koochiching County Sheriff Perryn Hedlund.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but all signs point to a mechanical failure, according to Hedlund. Officials from the International Falls Fire Department, State Fire Marshal’s Office and Canadian National Railroad conducted a joint investigation of the accident.

“We’ll know more when we get the completed reports from the railroad and State Fire Marshal’s Office,” said Hedlund. “But there were no signs of foul play.”

The incident has driven home the importance of rail safety, said Hedlund.

“I’m not pointing fingers at the railroad, but anything we can do to improve the infrastructure and safety of our rail lines needs to be considered,” he said.

Hedlund added the state has been encouraging the International Falls Fire Department to develop a chemical assessment team and said the incident provides additional incentive to get moving on that effort.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers have announced they will seek funds to improve the rail crossing in Ranier, considered one of the busiest international railroad crossings in the nation.

Gov. Mark Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, state Rep. David Dill and Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle voiced their support for including funds for the rail crossing in the state bonding bill. Eighth District Congressman Rick Nolan, D-Minn., also offered his support.

The funds would be used for a county road extension and overpass to solve the isolation of 50 area homes that lose their outlet to the city, sometimes for hours, when trains are crossing.

The proposal follows Rep. Nolan’s recent Rail and Essential Air Service forum in Ranier and International Falls. During that session, local officials cited serious transportation safety and infrastructure problems at the crossing, which handles 18 percent of all goods that enter the U.S. by rail.

The boom in the oil and gas industry has led to trains nearly two miles long, contributing to long delays at city intersections.

“The projects proposed in this bill will go a long way toward alleviating serious and persistent delays and safety problems at the Ranier crossing,” said Nolan.

“The International Falls and Ranier rail crossing has been problematic for many years,” said Sen. Bakk, DFL-Cook. “With no other crossing options available to our constituents, the safety of both communities is compromised by the chronically blocked intersections and congestion.”

Rep. Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, added that proposed projects “go directly to the safety, health and well-being of the City of Ranier and the greater International Falls area, while maintaining the important Ranier international port of entry from Canada. CN Rail and the need for the Port of Ranier are important to the community socially and economically.”