CN begins repairs after railway bridge collapse in northern Ontario

Rainy River rail lift bridge, also known as Five-Mile bridge and is owned by CN Railway, collapsed on Wednesday. Aug. 14, 2024 (Al Boivin)

Work has begun to repair a northern Ontario railway bridge that collapsed Wednesday and to clean up the subsequent oil spill.

The Transportation Safety Board said it was notified shortly before 6 p.m. Aug. 14 about the collapse at mileage 84 of the Canadian National Fort Frances Subdivision, east of the northwestern Ontario community.

The rail bridge that spans a portion of Rainy Lake is owned and operated by CN, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email Friday.

CN said the Five-Mile bridge connects its network to the Port of Thunder Bay and remains closed following the incident.

"No trains were involved. Initial reports indicate the waterway is impassable to marine traffic," the railway company said in a statement.

"The cause of the incident is under investigation."

No injuries have been reported in connection to the incident.

"We have not deployed investigators to the scene and the cause is still under investigation as we gather more information," the safety board told CTV News.

When the bridge collapsed, biodegradable, non-toxic hydraulic oil was released at the site.

CN said environmental crews have contained the oil and are recovering it.

The Town of Fort Frances is asking boaters using the lake to avoid the affected area and exercise caution.

An outfitter located on Campfire Island near the site told CTV News the bridge failure has not affected its business.

"We are still able to continue normal route of travel through the stationary bridge just west of the lift bridge," Sunset Country Outfitters said.