BELGRADE, Mont. (AP) -- Montana Rail Link officials say freight traffic across southern Montana was closed for about 24 hours after 17 cars of an MRL train derailed just west of Belgrade, spilling some grain along the tracks.
Rail Link Assistant Superintendent Brent Erickson tells KBZK-TV that the cars derailed between midnight at 1 a.m. Sunday. Fourteen of the cars were knocked on their sides and damaged. The track was also damaged and some segments had to be replaced.
MRL spokeswoman Lynda Frost says all the cars were carrying grain, but officials do not know how much spilled. She says the tracks were repaired and reopened by about 1 a.m. Monday.
The cause of the derailment is under investigation. Crews have not yet cleaned up the spilled grain.
