A railcar on a train carrying coal partially derailed in Clark County early this morning en route to British Columbia.
The derailment happened about 1 a.m. Wednesday, about a mile east of Vancouver’s Wintler Park along Evergreen Highway, said Gus Melonas, a spokesman for BNSF Railway.
The 122-car train originated in Montana and was destined for British Columbia. Melonas said the partially derailed car is upright, no product spilled and there’s no environmental threat. One set of wheels went off the track.
About 20 BNSF workers are on site investigating the cause and origin point of the partial derailment, Melonas said. Investigators have ruled out that it was caused by track failure, he said. They continue to investigate other possible causes.
Workers are also replacing the damaged track. A Cat with a sideboom was brought in from Pasco to lift the damaged railcar off the track. One crossing was damaged and is also being replaced.
“BNSF is inspecting the condition of other crossings in the area,” Melonas said.
He said a portion of the train was taken to Camas to clear crossings.
Several freight and Amtrak trains can’t pass through the area. There is a single set of tracks where the partial derailment occurred. Melonas said the line should reopen to rail service by 2 or 3 p.m. Between 35 and 45 trains use this line daily; the number of trains carrying coal varies.
The track has concrete railroad ties, which is a relatively new technology, Melonas said.
The track is inspected daily and segments of the track are replaced with new rails annually, Melonas said.
11:39 a.m. update:
Most area residents that spoke with The Columbian said they didn’t hear anything last night.
But, Cheyl Boethin, who lives right in front of where the derailment occurred said she heard a loud, long screech when the train stopped.
“I thought he must have really slammed on his brakes,” she said. “I thought maybe he hit something. Oh my gosh, it scared me to death.”
Amanda Maxwell, spokeswoman for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, said the derailment doesn’t appear to warrant UTC involvement. The damage doesn’t appear meet the $50,000 threshold for an incident to be reported. Also, state statute doesn’t consider coal a hazardous substance.
“We’ve reached out to the company and we’ll be making sure the track is back in good condition,” she said. “At this point it doesn’t seem like it’s a reportable incident for us.”