There have been four train derailments on railroad tracks connecting Barron and Chippewa Counties this year. Aging infrastructure and a spike in frac sand shipments have put new pressures on an old line.
The 38-mile track stretching between the cities of Chippewa Falls and Cameron was nearly abandoned before the frac sand boom hit western Wisconsin. Then, Minnesota-based Progressive Rail won a 30-year lease and traffic increased from 2,000 cars per year to 3,000 per month. But since January, four trains, heavy with sand, have gone off the tracks.
Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads Jeff Plale said it’s the law of averages.
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“It’s almost like somebody flipped a switch,” said Plale. “It went from being a sleepy little line that is not heavily used to a very busy line.”
Progressive Rail didn’t return calls for comment but previously said they’d replace 15,000 aging railroad ties. A 2009 regional study estimated that $11 million in repairs were needed for the line.
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