Empire Builder halted

Posted by tnbriggs

on Tue, Feb 7 2006 9:49 AM

I noticed that the westbound Empire Builder (train 7/27) was halted at Spokane on Sunday morning 2/5/06 and that the passengers were bused to points west of there. Amtrak's website only lists a service disruption and there are no arrival or departure times for that train (which originated in Chicago on 2/3/06) on the Amtrak website. I saw nothing on the newsire about either it or any derailments on the BNSF high line that would have affected it. Does anyone know what the problem was? Thanks.

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Posted by TomDiehl

on Tue, Feb 7 2006 9:54 AM

Check the Newswire for February 1, 2006. Under "BNSF again imposes curfew on Seattle-area passenger trains"

Smile, it makes people wonder what you're up to. Chief of Sanitation; Clowntown

Posted by tnbriggs

on Tue, Feb 7 2006 8:32 PM

Thanks, Tom. However, the Newswire for 2/1/06 explains why the Empire Builder is not running to Seattle, but not why it did not run to points between Spokane and either Everett (for train 7) or Portland (for train 27). There should be arrival and departure data for these points (such as Wenatchee for train 7) and Wishram (for train 27) but there isn't any.

Newswire 2/1/06 quoted:
<<BNSF again imposes curfew on Seattle-area passenger trains

SEATTLE - BNSF Railway again has imposed a curfew on Amtrak passenger trains between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and Sounder commuter trains between Seattle and Everett, Wash., owing to another mudslide on Puget Sound’s shoreline north of Seattle, according to both Amtrak and Sound Transit.

Service north of Seattle by Cascades trains has been canceled through Thursday evening, Feb. 2, with alternate bus transportation provided by Amtrak to and from Seattle and Vancouver. A previous curfew for passenger train service to and from Seattle and points south has expired.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which operates between Chicago and the Pacific Coast cities of Seattle and Portland (it splits and merges at Spokane), will have its Seattle segment terminate at Everett, Wash. through February 2. Bus transportation is provided to and from Seattle. The Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight will operate normally to and from Seattle.

Sounder commuter trains operate only as far north as Everett.>>

Posted by RLBurlingame

on Tue, Feb 28 2006 7:27 PM

Yup they had stuff backed up into Whitefish Montana