Broken rail likely caused fatal Colorado train derailment, full closure of Interstate 25 stretches on for a third day

Federal officials have identified a broken rail as the preliminary cause of the large-scale train derailment north of Pueblo that killed one person over the weekend. A full closure of Interstate 25 in southern Colorado is continuing for a third day as the cleanup and recovery work continues.

"Investigators will continue to determine the cause of the broken rail and why warnings systems did not alert the crews to the condition of the track as part of the ongoing investigation," said Sarah Taylor Sulick, Public Affairs Specialist for the National Transportation Safety Board.

The I-25 closure started late Sunday afternoon and according to a Colorado Department of Transportation news release, the closure is expected to last at least another day.  

Thirty cars from a BNSF Railway train derailed at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday while it was passing above I-25. The NTSB says the broken rail was located on a section of track just east of the interstate. The derailment had a disastrous effect, causing the bridge to partially collapse and the overturned train cars to spill coal all over the interstate. A semi truck was under the bridge at the time of the derailment and the driver was killed. He was a 60-year-old California man.

The massive cleanup effort is being handled by BNSF Railway and an investigation being led by the NTSB is underway.

"Anytime you see that many rail cars bunched up and coal all over the road, it's a pretty big deal and it's going to take some time to clean up once the highway is released to us, and if there is damage to the highway, it will have to be repaired," said CDOT spokesperson Amber Shipley.

The various detours that are in place due to the interstate closure are being patrolled by law enforcement agencies including the Colorado State Patrol. CSP said in a news release they are "patrolling these designated routes to ensure motorists adhere to posted speed limits."

State Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, who represents Pueblo County, called the fatal derailment "a tragedy." He said he's concerned about the fact that there have been several other train derailments across the country in recent years.

Detours in place

On Monday CDOT provided the following details about the I-25 detour that's in place:

Local Traffic Detour Routes:
• Motorists who may be south of Fountain and traveling southbound on I-25 towards the City of Pueblo will be detoured to exit 110 toward Overton Road then toward Jerry Murphy; motorists will then head toward I-25 via westbound Colorado Highway 47.

This access route is recommended for local traffic only.

Suggested Through Traffic Detour Routes:
• Southbound: Motorists in the Colorado Springs area traveling southbound are advised to take Colorado Highway 115 toward Penrose and then proceed east on US Highway 50 toward the City of Pueblo.

• Northbound: Motorists traveling northbound are advised to exit I-25 at US 50/CO 47 and travel west toward CO 115. Motorists will then head north toward Colorado Springs.

Drivers using CO 115 will encounter a 12-mile long construction project. Motorists should expect temporary driving surfaces and frequent traffic pattern changes. Traffic impacts include:
• One lane is open in each direction
• Reduced speed limit of 45 mph
• Width restriction of 11-feet
Suggested Wide-load Detour Routes:
Vehicles over 11-feet wide should seek alternate highway routes as CO 115 has current width restrictions in place.
• Eastbound: drive east via US 50 or CO 96 to CO 71
• Westbound: drive west on US 50 and then use US 285