Washington flooding Amtrak cancellations disrupt key NW routes

Washington flooding Amtrak cancellations are reshaping rail travel in the Pacific Northwest. The disruptions are affecting both Amtrak Cascades service and the Seattle section of the Empire Builder.

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

Amtrak Cascades cancellations on the Seattle–Vancouver route

Amtrak said on its Amtrak Service Alerts and Notices site that both Cascades round trips between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, are canceled for today and tomorrow (Dec. 11–12).

Don’t miss…Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger faces STB test

The cancellations are tied to anticipated Skagit River flooding through Mount Vernon. No substitute transportation will be offered. Amtrak also canceled the Wednesday afternoon Seattle–Vancouver section of train No. 518.

Empire Builder Seattle service disruption and bus substitutions

Flooding also disrupted the Empire Builder Seattle section. The train scheduled to depart Seattle on Wednesday evening instead originated in Spokane, Wash., with buses operating between Seattle and Spokane. It ultimately departed Spokane at 6:27 a.m. today, more than five hours late. As of 1:30 p.m. CT, it was more than six hours behind schedule when it departed Libby, Mont.

Westbound train No. 7 was replaced by buses for the Spokane–Seattle portion of its trip. Bus substitutions are also planned for train No. 8 today and tomorrow, according to Amtrak’s website and social media posts. The Portland section of the Empire Builder continues to operate.

Washington state of emergency and Skagit County evacuations

The service changes come amid broader emergency actions. Flooding led Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday, Dec. 10 (Washington Governor’s Office). Today, officials called for evacuations in Skagit County, north of Seattle, with ABC News reporting up to 100,000 people could be facing evacuation orders. The Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, and Cedar rivers have reached or may reach record high-water levels.

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