(The Associated Press circulated the following article on February 5.)
SPOKANE, Wash. — A freight train derailed near this Eastern Washington on Saturday, blocking rail traffic between Portland and Spokane.
Three cars packed with furniture ran off the tracks about 45 miles west of Spokane around 10:30 a.m., said Gus Melonas, spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns the tracks.
No one was injured, and the cause remained under investigation. The line was expected to be cleared by 8 a.m. Sunday, he said.
Melonas says the railroad was working to develop alternative routes for freight traffic, and that Amtrak passengers would be bused between Portland and Spokane.
The route serves 45 trains daily, most of them freight, Melonas said.
It was the second derailment in the area in 10 days. Last weekend, a four-car Amtrak passenger derailed near Sprague — about an eighth of a mile west of Saturday’s accident. The locomotive and cars remained upright and there were no injuries.
Initial investigation indicated there was no connection between the two incidents, Melonas said.