HOPE, British Columbia — Flooding battering the province of British Columbia has disrupted rail service, as well as forcing evacuations and washing away highways.
The CBC reports Canadian Pacific’s line through the Fraser River Canyon has been closed because of flood damage north of Hope, B.C., and that a Canadian National train derailed because of flood damage on Sunday on CP’s line north of Yale, B.C. CP and CN operate on paired track in the area. A photo from BC Transportation shows rail line damage as well as a washed-out section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Lytton, B.C., the site of a devastating wildfire this summer.
CN service has been disrupted by several mudslides and washouts, according to Kamloops, B.C., radio station 610 AM. Bloomberg reports the railroad has told customers in an email that all traffic to and from Vancouver has been affected. The railroad did not have an estimate when service might be restored. A CN spokesman told Bloomberg in an email that the railroad would begin construction efforts to restore service once conditions stabilize.
The CBC reported Hope was projected to receive more than 300 millimeters (about 12 inches) of rain from this storm as of Monday; the average rainfall for the month is about 250 millimeters, or 9.8 inches. Mudslides on a highway between Hope and Agassiz, B.C., stranded as many as 275 people in their vehicles; those individuals were being rescued by helicopter on Monday.
— Updated at 7:10 a.m. CST with additional information from radio station report.
Is the line to Prince Rupert open? And the ex-PGE to North Van?
Far as I can tell those are unaffected. It would be okay for supplying essentials, but for anything else it would be like trying to drink a milkshake with a cocktail straw.
Is BNSF able to handle any of the Vancouver, BC traffic ? Able to carry the traffic by way of Cascade, Stampede. and Vancouver, Washington ?
Is BNSF short of crews on those routes making it unable to handle anything but a small amount of diverted traffic ?