PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A Union Pacific freight train derailed on the east end of the Steel Bridge on Monday morning, forcing the closure of the entire bridge for several hours.
The train derailed shortly after 6 a.m. on the railroad tracks on the lower deck of the bridge.
Shortly before 10:30 a.m., the bridge was reopened to traffic and an Amtrak train was seen going along the tracks.
Firefighters said six cars were involved and two of them were lumber cars. Those lumber cars were fully derailed.
Union Pacific told KATU that all the train cars that derailed were empty.
Even with the bridge reopened, the derailed cars were still on part of the tracks. There was no immediate word about when they would be removed.
Officials closed the bridge for safety reasons and to assess it for damage, as one of the cars was leaning against a support column. The closure also meant the bridge couldn't be raised, which prevented vessels on the Willamette River from passing beneath it.
Watch a morning press briefing by Portland Fire & Rescue:
The bridge closure affected all traffic, pedestrian and MAX trains, and the Eastbank Esplanade adjacent to the bridge and under the bridge was also closed.
“This is the hardest working bridge in the city," said Lt. Laurent Picard, a spokesperson for PF&R. "It takes TriMet, multiple rail lines, light rail, cars, pedestrians, so there’s really no other bridge in the city that has as many modes of transportation across it. So it’s definitely a significant incident.”
A hazmat team responded to determine what the train cars contained and if there were any hazmat issues, but so far firefighters say they did not see anything leaking.
Picard said Union Pacific sent engineers to the scene.
Union Pacific said the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
No injuries have been reported so far.
As more information becomes available this story will be updated.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uLbAnKuvZpOkunC6xLCqaKaRqbawuoywpquklGTBs63Ip2SdnaKWtq2%2FjKilZqukmrKtecGroJ2flWKvs7XDoJxmm5ykwKaw