Historic flooding in the Pacific Northwest during the second week of December affected several key BNSF Railway main lines, especially in Washington. Areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and even far western Montana received heavy rains from an “atmospheric river,” which dumped over a foot of rain in some locations. The rainfall, combined with melting snow, caused many rivers across the region to overflow their banks. 

In Washington, BNSF’s Stampede, Scenic, Bellingham, and Sumas subdivisions were all taken out of service due to washouts. Flooding along those routes also affected Amtrak service, including the Cascades between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and the Empire Builder between Spokane and Seattle (the Portland section operated normally).

As of this writing, the Scenic and Bellingham Subdivisions have reopened, and the Stampede Sub was poised to reopen in a matter of days. No timeline has been set for the Sumas Sub to return. Railroad officials said access was a problem for repairing that section of the railroad.