No Word When Trail Derailment Near Ritzville Will Be Cleared

The Union Pacific line that runs through Eastern Washington has been shut down since Friday thanks to a derailment that included a hazardous cargo spill of sodium chlorate and subsequent fire that flared up over the weekend.  No one was injured in the Friday accident.

Union Pacific says the derailment was caused by a rock slide and left 11 of the 23 derailed cars inside a tunnel near Ritzville.  The spill of sodium chlorate, a crystalline chemical used in bleaching paper pulp, happened in one train car that derailed outside the tunnel.  The state Department of Ecology says the spill and ignition of the chemical occurred in a remote area.

Union Pacific has no estimated time for reopening the railroad line, which runs from the Canadian border to the Columbia River Gorge, and trains have been routed along a line operated by BNSF.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com