BNSF flooding washouts disrupted rail operations across the Pacific Northwest in the second week of December, with Washington seeing the worst impacts, as reported by Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Heavy rain from an “atmospheric river” fell across parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and far western Montana.

BNSF flooding washouts disrupt Northwest rail service
Photo Courtesy of BNSF.

In some locations, more than a foot of rain was recorded. With melting snow added to the mix, rivers across the region overflowed their banks, creating Pacific Northwest historic flooding conditions.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

BNSF flooding washouts take Washington subdivisions out of service

In Washington, washouts forced BNSF to take multiple routes out of service, including the Stampede, Scenic, Bellingham, and Sumas subdivisions, as outlined in a BNSF customer notification. The disruption to BNSF washouts Washington subdivisions also affected Amtrak service along those corridors.

Don’t miss…UK December 2025 rail timetable: what changes from 14 Dec

Amtrak service affected by flooding in Washington

Flood impacts reached Amtrak trains operating on the Cascades between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and on the Empire Builder between Spokane and Seattle, with additional context on passenger impacts highlighted by Railway Supply. The Portland section of the Empire Builder operated normally, but the broader Amtrak service affected by flooding Washington remained tied to conditions along the impacted BNSF routes.

Status updates on the Scenic, Bellingham, Stampede, and Sumas lines

As of this writing, the Scenic and Bellingham Subdivisions have reopened, and the Stampede Subdivision was expected to reopen within days. No timeline has been set for the Sumas Subdivision to return, and railroad officials said access to the area has been a problem for repairing that section, according to a later BNSF flood recovery update.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Don’t miss…IRCTC fake ID checks cut new accounts to about 5,000

Find the latest news of the railway industry in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the rest of the world on our page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, read Railway Supply magazine online.

Place your ads on webportal and in Railway Supply magazine. Detailed information is in Railway Supply media kit