
BNSF Grain Train Derails In MT, Disrupts Amtrak Empire Builder
In the early hours of Saturday, October 12, a BNSF grain train derailed near Essex, Montana, according to reports from KRTV. The derailment, which occurred around 5:42 a.m. near Java, Montana, on the Hi Line Subdivision, involved 12 cars. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Both tracks on the main line were impacted by the derailment. In a customer advisory, BNSF estimated that the first track would be reopened by approximately 11 p.m. local time on Saturday.
The derailment has caused service disruptions for Amtrak's Empire Builder trains. According to the Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com, the Friday, October 11, departures from Portland, Oregon, and Seattle were halted in Whitefish, Montana, while the Chicago departure on the same date was stopped in Shelby, Montana.

To manage the disruption, passengers were bused between Whitefish and Shelby, a distance of about 150 miles, where they would continue their journeys by rail. As of today, eastbound Amtrak train No. 8 arrived in Whitefish at 10:31 a.m., while westbound train No. 7 was expected to reach Shelby by 5:58 p.m.
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