Union Pacific Partially Reopens Oakridge Train

GENERAL NEWS 

By Ethan Lindsey

Portland, OR  April 7, 2008 6 a.m.

Union Pacific began shipping freight through the Willamette Valley again this past weekend.

A massive mudslide in January shut down connections between California and Portland.

Amtrak replaced its Pacific Coast starlight passenger train with bus service.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Zoe Richmond says the track will be only partially reopened, because of safety concerns.

Several trains will be let over the new Oakridge track, at slower speeds, every evening.

Zoe Richmond: “Trains that are being rerouted through Bend will still keep going through Bend. But trains that used to have to go all the way out to Salt Lake City and more-or-less around Oregon to come back to Portland, those are going to be the ones that we are going to allow to go by there in the evening.”

Richmond says the economic boomlet experienced by Oakridge because of the mudlside will continue. She says more than 200 Union Pacific workers will stay on the job until the track is completely reopened.

The company says it will not predict when that will be - three earlier predictions proved premature because of inclement weather.

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