Still more Monday rail news:
Durango & Silverton hit by washout
A washout has cut the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s access to Silverton for eight to 16 weeks, the Durango Herald reports. A log jam on the railroad’s bridge at Elk Creek, about five miles from Silverton, forced the creek to overflow and washed out more than 40 feet of the railroad’s track. The railroad hopes to begin removing debris this week, but the repair process will be a long one, John Harper, general manager of the railroad’s parent company, American Heritage Railways, told the newspaper. The washout will not affect the shorter trips between Rockwood and Cascade that are set to begin Tuesday [see “Durango & Silverton to reopen with shorter trips, steam-diesel combinations,” News Wire Digest, June 17, 2020], but could delay hoped-for full-length trips or excursions from Silverton to Elk Creek or Needleton.
DC Metro to reopen stations closed because of coronavirus
DC Metro will reopen 15 stations on its rail system as of June 28, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has announced. A list of the stations reopening after being closed because of COVID-19 is available here, and includes three stations which currently are only available for shuttle-bus connections to the rail system because of platform work at the stations. Metro will also adjust some bus service as of June 29, adding more capacity and more frequent service on its 14 busiest lines.
16-year-old critical after contact with catenary on NEC in Connecticut
A 16-year-old male is reported to be in critical condition after being electrocuted when he came into contact with a catenary line while playing atop a freight car along the Northeast Corridor in Bridgeport, Conn. The Wilton Daily Voice reports the incident occurred about 3:20 a.m. today, and quotes Scott Appleby, director of the local Office of Emergency Management, as saying the youth was “burned from head to toe but was breathing and slightly responsive.” MTA police are investigating.
