Landslides halt Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver

Heavy rains hitting the Lower Mainland have caused three landslides that have halted Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver until Friday, March 31.

BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks, said in a statement to Global News they have three “slippages” that came down the rail line along the South Surrey Pennisula.

The slides came down within 2.5 kilometres of each other, about six kilometres north of White Rock, BNSF Director of Public Affairs Gus Melonas said.

The largest slippage was 1.5 metres deep and nine metres long.

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Melonas said he hasn’t seen this type of slide action in awhile.

Even though the tracks have been cleared and freight train service has resumed, the Amtrak passenger service cannot start up again until the area has been watched by inspectors for 48 hours.

A rainfall warning issued for the the Vancouver and Howe Sound region on Tuesday came to an end Wednesday morning after record-breaking amounts fell in the region.

So much rain fell in Metro Vancouver, it broke a record set in 1956.

The current record for the most precipitation in March is 240 millimetres in 1997. The second wettest March was recorded in 2007 with 215 millimetres.

Total rainfall amounts are still being calculated but some areas from Tuesday and into Wednesday saw between 40 millimetres to 70 millimetres of rain and as high as 90 millimetres along the North Shore and in Coquitlam.

In a statement, Amtrak says it is providing bus service with stops at all stations between Seattle and Vancouver.

South of Seattle, normal rail service continues to Eugene, Oregon.

Passengers with travel plans can confirm their train’s status or review refund information on Amtrak.com, via the Amtrak app or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.