Union Pacific and the City of Portland are butting heads over the resumption of rail service next to a burned-out waterfront warehouse that is at risk of collapsing. 

The eight-story Centennial Mills warehouse is located just north of Portland Union Station. On August 2, the building caught fire. While firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control within a few hours, the roof and all eight floors inside the structure collapsed during the blaze, leaving just four fire-damaged walls that could collapse at any time. 

Right after the fire, UP and Amtrak suspended rail service on the line directly across the street from the warehouse over fears that vibrations from passing trains could bring it down. But a week later, on August 8, UP officials notified the city that it planned to resume freight operations. Shortly after, UP parked a cut of loaded ballast cars on the track closest to the building to act as a shield of sorts if the building came down while a train passed. Freight service resumed on August 11, much to the dismay of city officials who said it was a threat to public health and safety. 

“Passing trains could trigger the collapse of the building,” said City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III.

While UP has resumed freight service, the prospect of a building collapse continues to disrupt Amtrak service. Passengers aboard Amtrak’s Cascades trains are now having to take a bus between Portland and Seattle. Amtrak’s Empire Builder has been suspended between Portland and Spokane, Wash., as well. 

—Justin Franz