BNSF reopens main line following Idaho derailment NEWSWIRE

BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — BNSF Railway is untangling its operations in the Pacific Northwest after a derailment in Idaho closed its northern transcontinental main line for three days.

On Jan. 1, a westbound manifest freight train derailed near Katka, about 10 miles east of Bonners Ferry, on the Kootenai River Subdivision. Three locomotives and six cars went off the rails. The lead locomotive ended up in the nearby Kootenai River and the crew had to be rescued by first responders and BNSF personnel. Both the engineer and conductor were unharmed.

BNSF had originally hoped to have the line reopened Friday night, but delays in getting the track repaired pushed the closure back until Saturday afternoon. The first train went through at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

According to a service advisory, the derailment was caused by a rock slide and the railroad has taken measures to prevent a similar incident at that location in the future.

“Since the incident occurred, crews and contractors have been working around the clock to clear the scene, repair affected track and, most importantly, ensure the safety of future train movements once operations resumed,” the service advisory reads. “As part of this challenging work, engineers were deployed onto the steep incline above the track to remove rock hazards as well as conduct inspections of the rocky slope.”

While the former Great Northern main line was closed, BNSF sent more than 20 trains south via Montana Rail Link’s former Northern Pacific main line. Since Saturday afternoon, BNSF has been busy trying to get operations back to normal on a route that usually sees 30 to 40 trains a day, including Amtrak’s Empire Builder. On Sunday, westbound train No. 8 arrived in Whitefish, Mont., more than 8 hours late because of delays on the previous eastbound run. The two eastbound trains that departed on Sunday — No. 8 out of Seattle and No. 28 out of Portland, Ore. — appeared to be faring better and were on time as they made their way toward Spokane where the trains are combined into a single No. 8.