Passenger train derails near Sprague

An Amtrak train derailed Saturday two miles west of Sprague, Wash. The train was carrying 86 passengers and six crew members.

The incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. when an Amtrak train bound for Chicago from Portland – a locomotive and four cars – derailed on a single mainline track about 45 miles west of Spokane, according to Gus Melonas, spokesman for BNSF Railway Co.

The train leaned slightly to one side.

The passengers and crew members were initially taken by bus to the gym of Sprague High School, said Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell.

Some crew members were taken to a local hospital, but no major injuries were reported, Melonas said.

Passengers were later taken to hotels in Spokane, where passengers continuing east waited to board the next train, Melonas said.

Amtrak will not resume its run from Portland to Chicago until Monday.

The passengers were on Amtrak’s Number 28 “Empire Builder,” a daily route between Portland and Chicago along major portions of the Lewis and Clark trail.

Railroad officials are investigating why the train went off the tracks near Sprague but had not determined the cause as of Saturday night, Melonas said.

BNSF equipment was brought to Sprague from Spokane and Pasco to re-rail Amtrak’s train, Melonas said.

The last car was expected to be set upright on the track by midnight Saturday, which would then enable crews to do repairs to the railroad.

The train line that runs through Sprague was expected to reopen by 6 a.m. today, Melonas said.

About 45 trains use the stretch of railroad during a 24-hour period, Melonas said.

Some freight train traffic was detoured while crews worked to put the Amtrak train back on the tracks and fix the railroad.