(The Associated Press circulated the following article on January 24.)
LAS VEGAS — Freight trains resumed running along parts of the California coast and the Nevada desert on Monday, nearly two weeks after record flooding washed out tracks and cut service on a main rail line to the West Coast.
Although limited service was restored, repair work continued on segments of a 139-mile stretch of track next to the Pacific Ocean between Guadalupe and Moorpark, Calif., and on an 85-mile span of rails in a remote Nevada valley near the Utah border.
The two areas were the last of five to reopen after being severely damaged during winter storms earlier this month.
“There are a lot of sections with 10 mph speed restrictions. Some signals are still out,” Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley said.
The company estimated the cost of flood damage in Nevada and California at $200 million — including repairs, lost revenue and the costs of detouring freight into and out of the Los Angeles area.
Flooding did extensive damage to the railroad, undermining rails in several places, washing out track and toppling more than 20 parked cars into the rushing waters.