Slide halts Amtrak

SEATTLE – A Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman says BNSF crews are finishing cleanup of a mud, rock and tree slide that left a 4-foot-high, 30-foot-long debris pile on the company’s railroad tracks between the Washington state border and Vancouver, B.C.

The Friday afternoon slide occurred between White Rock and Surrey, B.C. No injuries were reported. The cause was under investigation.

Gus Melonas said the tracks would be open for freight train travel Friday night but Amtrak passenger service through the area would be suspended for 48 hours as a safety precaution. He said that if engineering crews agree the area is safe, Amtrak service will resume late Sunday afternoon.