The Amtrak Cascades train, carrying passengers from Portland to Seattle, was running on the same route BNSF uses to transport crude oil shipments to Puget Sound refineries. The locomotive derailed around noon on Sunday, but it remained upright—none of the passenger cars toppled.
The Tukwila Office of Emergency Management reported that there was no visible damage to the cars on train 502, and no sign of fuel leaking from the train, which was traveling at 5 mph or less.
The derailment disrupted traffic on the busiest rail line in the state, which was re-opened 5:10 p.m. Sunday.
The cause is under investigation, Kopta said.
Four days ago, a federal investigation found that a Union Pacific track failure caused the crude oil derailment off the Columbia River Gorge earlier this month. Washington's Governor Jay Inslee asked Union Pacific to stop shipping crude through Washington until it changes its inspection protocol, but the railroad refused.
