(The following article by Paul Herrera was posted on the Press-Enterprise website on January 13.)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — With sunshine returning to Southern California, Union Pacific Railroad hopes to get trains moving once again.
Four of the five major Union Pacific routes have been shut down this week as a result of flooding and landslides. The one remaining rail line, which runs east from Los Angeles, through Beaumont on the way to Arizona, is only partially open.
John Bromley, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said flooding damaged one of two tracks on the route in Beaumont. Bromley said crews expect to clear the damage by today.
“The floods have significantly impacted us on every line,” Bromley said.
No Union Pacific trains are moving on the company’s tracks through the Cajon Pass, San Bernardino or the Santa Barbara area.
Bromley said several rockslides have blocked the tracks through the Cajon Pass. Floodwaters washed out the ground beneath Union Pacific tracks in Fontana, where rails are suspended in the air in some spots.
Bromley said all of the routes are scheduled to reopen today. The company expects that it will take several days to clear a backlog of trains that have been idled by the track problems.
Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe operate some of the most heavily-used rail lines in the nation in Southern California. The two companies take goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and ship them nationwide.
Burlington Northern spokeswoman Lena Kent said the company’s tracks are almost all open and problem-free. The lone exception is a little-used side track in the Cajon Pass area that is unusable due to flood damage to a bridge, Kent said. The company has allowed Union Pacific to move some trains on its rails this week.