Union Pacific Tunnel Collapse in Oregon

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OAKRIDGE — Amtrak is using charter buses as substitutes for passenger trains along its Coast Starlight route, as Union Pacific crews work to clear debris from a tunnel along Highway 58 that partially collapsed on Tuesday.

A Union Pacific spokesman said Wednesday that debris from the tunnel’s ceiling fell onto the tracks during maintenance operations. A 50-foot stretch of the tunnel, which is between Oakridge and Odell Lake, is affected.

The tunnel is expected to remain closed for several days, UP spokesman Justin Jacobs said. During that time, UP trains that would normally travel through the tunnel are being rerouted through Bend.

No one was injured when the tunnel ceiling collapsed, Jacobs said.

Full Story:
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2...s-passengers-between-eugene-and-klamath-falls
 
THis Major tunnel collapse is east of Eugene Oregon and west fo Chemult Oregon. This WILL sadly disrupt the AMtrak Coast Starlight trains 11 and 14. The last official UPRR estimate is for 7 to 10 days. MY OPINION is prepare for a 1 MONTH or More Closure.
fyi CHemult Oregon is about 70 miles north of Klamath Falls Oregon.
----Daniel
 
This is in the same area of that massive slide a few years ago that closed the line for a long time. There will be good photo ops should traffic, including the Coast Starlight, be diverted over the "Inside Gateway" route through Bend.
 
The last official UPRR estimate is for 7 to 10 days. MY OPINION is prepare for a 1 MONTH or More Closure.

We shall see, but you'd be amazed at what railroads can do if they put their mind to it! I'm sure they'll work 24/7 and hit it hard.
 
This is in the same area of that massive slide a few years ago that closed the line for a long time. There will be good photo ops should traffic, including the Coast Starlight, be diverted over the "Inside Gateway" route through Bend.

Sorry, but no Amtrak re-routes over the Inside Gateway. Too bad, as I'd head down there and take a trip over that line if they were! There are freight detours though, so still photo ops.

Service Bulletin for the planned outage, they've simply extended the dates for now.

Track Work Affects Coast Starlight Trains 11 & 14
Effective May 28 - 29 and June 4 - 5, 2018
On the dates shown above, track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad will affect Coast Starlight service.
Monday, May 28 - Tuesday, May 29 and Monday, June 4
  • Train 11 will terminate at Eugene.
    • Buses will operate between Eugene and Klamath Falls, stopping at Chemult.
    • Train 11 may be delayed between 30 and 60 minutes departing Klamath Falls.
  • Train 14 will terminate at Klamath Falls.
    • Buses will operate between Klamath Falls and Eugene, stopping at Chemult.
    • Connections to Train 28 at Portland will transfer via Bus 5528 at Eugene.
    • Train 14 may be delayed between 6 and 7 hours.
Tuesday, June 5
Train 14 will not depart Klamath Falls until 10:45 am.

PSN 0518-114
 
Sadly I did NOT expect any Amtrak detours via Bend OR as there were NO Amtrak detorus in 2008 -Frazier Slide closure.
Thank you VErY much BOb for this improved version of Railroadforums.
----Daniel
 
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Service Outage between Eugene and Chemult, Oregon
Announcement Number: CN2018-13

Categories: General Announcements

Posted Date: May 30, 2018

To Our Customers,

Due to a tunnel collapse, the rail line between Eugene and Chemult, Oregon on the Cascade Subdivision is currently out of service. Because this tunnel is in a remote, difficult-to-access location, we estimate repairs will take 7 to 10 days to complete. The estimated time of repair may change pending further assessment.

Most traffic in this area will be rerouted through Salt Lake City, Utah, resulting in additional transit time of four to five days. We apologize for any inconvenience these delays may cause.

If you have any questions, please contact Customer Care & Support or your Union Pacific representative. Thank you for your business.

img_up_tunnel.gif
 
So... not much freight detouring via the inside gateway either. Possibly some of the "hot" trains.
 
I think there are a couple of problems with it. First of all, it's BNSF track, so they get priority. The track is in good condition, but I think it doesn't have the signals and capacity to deal with a large number of trains. At least that's the comments I've heard from others, I'm not all that familiar with it personally. I do know it's single track and runs through some pretty rugged terrain.
 
If it is BNSF track, then the UP may have to pay extra to run more trains over it; hence the long way 'round detour via SLC. .
 
Maybe not enough crews familiar with the territory from either BNSF or UP; BNSF is going to use its crews first on its own trains, and although UP does have trackage rights, it may not have enough crews for additional trains, even if BNSF has enough people available to act as pilots.
 
The Inside Gateway only runs to Klamath Falls, isn't the tunnel collapse well north of that? What good would it be to run the Gateway?
 
The Inside Gateway only runs to Klamath Falls, isn't the tunnel collapse well north of that? What good would it be to run the Gateway?

You are correct, however fans typically call the entire route through Bend and north to the Columbia River the "Inside Gateway" as well. I guess it would more accurately be called the Oregon Trunk route, if even that is correct.
 
The Oregon Trunk, later a part of GN, now BNSF, ran from Wishram to Klamath Falls via trackage rights from Chemult south. Oddly enough, parts of the track are actually owned by UP still (a hold over from when Hill's GN and Harriman's UP were somewhat more hostile and laying parallel lines into Bend. Eventually settled with both making use of the completed line using parts of GN and parts of UP north of Bend), and BNSF has trackage rights between Chemult and K'Falls on the UP main. I believe that BNSf actually controls and dispatches the entire line as a practical matter.
 
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By the way, the UP junction with the Oregon Trunk sub is on the south side of the river at Celilo, right at the south end of the BNSF bridge. Amtrak isn't likely to use the line much, if at all. North of Bend to the river, it is full of heavy curvature and grades, and isn't fast. It would add several hours travel time for travel between SF and Seattle. Too bad, as it is a spectacular stretch of line, with deep canyons, a huge bridge or two and recent lava flows thrown in for good measure.
 
Yes, that line is definitely rare mileage. The recent 4449 trips to Bend, OR and back over the Oregon Trunk sold out very quickly. They were book to capacity, even though the tickets weren't cheap.
 
Amtrak Service Advisory


Track Work Affects Coast Starlight Trains 11 & 14
Extended through June 11, 2018
On the dates shown above, track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad will affect Coast Starlight service.

Monday, May 28 - Sunday, June 10
  • Train 11 will terminate at Eugene.
    • Buses will operate between Eugene and Klamath Falls, stopping at Chemult.
    • Train 11 may be delayed between 30 and 60 minutes departing Klamath Falls.
  • Train 14 will terminate at Klamath Falls.
    • Buses will operate between Klamath Falls and Eugene, stopping at Chemult.
    • Connections to Train 28 at Portland will transfer via Bus 5528 at Eugene.
  • Train 14 may be delayed between 5 and 6 hours.
Monday, June 11
Train 14 will not depart Klamath Falls until 10:45 am.

Train 14’s connection to Thruway Bus 8914 at Seattle is discontinued for the duration of this disruption with no alternate transportation provided.
 




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