Landslide delays Amtrak trains from Seattle to Portland

Amtrak suspended all trains between Seattle and Portland through Sunday morning due to a landslide.

BNSF Railway placed a 48-hour moratorium on passenger rail south of Tacoma Friday morning due to a landslide that covered one set of tracks, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. A BNSF spokesman did not say where the landslide happened, but said debris was 3 feet deep and 50 feet wide.

The moratorium affected 20 trains along the Cascades and Coast Starlight routes, both of which stop at Vancouver’s station. Southbound travel from Portland is unaffected along both routes.

Substitute transportation will be provided by scheduled chartered buses to and from Seattle and Portland until 8:55 a.m. Sunday morning, 48 hours after BNSF Railway placed a moratorium on passenger train travel, according to Amtrak’s website.

Customers can also modify their travel plans by calling 800-USA-RAIL. Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation.

Amtrak does not say where the landslide is located, but a so-called “atmospheric river” brought heavy rain and some flooding to parts of the Pacific Northwest this week. Forecaster Andy Bryant with the National Weather Service said the Portland-metro area avoided the worst of the storm, with Vancouver receiving about 1 3/4 inch over 48 hours.

Astoria, Ore., meanwhile, set a rainfall record on Friday, with 3.42 inches pounding the coastal city. The National Weather Service reported 3.25 inches of rain at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday, making it the fifth wettest day there in recorded history.