Mudslides, flooding slows rail traffic in Washington

SEATTLE (AP) — Mudslides and flooding is having an impact on railroad traffic in Washington.

Trees and mud that slide on to the tracks from a slope near South Bellingham caused BNSF Railway to issue a 48-hour suspension of passenger operations on the line that runs between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.

BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas says the slide happened at about 9:20 a.m. Monday. The suspension will run until Wednesday. They plan to run freight on that line.

Melonas says a 70-foot-wide, 7-foot-deep slide north of White Rock, British Columbia stopped train traffic at about 3:12 a.m. Crews cleared the tracks and freight operations resumed at 10 a.m.

They're also dealing with high water on the BNSF double main line that runs from Seattle to Portland. They'll continue to run trains on one set of tracks on that line.