SWC and Tornados

[ScottC4746]

I leave Saturday 28 May on SWC from CHI-LAX. I have not seen anything posted on Amtrak.com about it. Will the train still run with the bad weather they have having? I realize I am talking train and not plane.

 

[crewmember]

Not unless there's a direct hit on the BNSF line will the SWC be affected; as of now, the prediction is for some rain, but the main storms over the weekend will be further north. See you on Saturday at CUS...

 

[Tracktwentynine]

In all likelihood, yes.

Tornadoes leave very narrow swaths of destruction. Short of a direct hit on a train (extremely, extremely rare), the sort of damage they do to railroad lines is to put trees down across the tracks and damage stations. That sort of damage can be pretty quickly cleared with chainsaws, and the railroads generally get their lines open quickly.

That being said, severe weather can cause delays, especially in the form of speed restrictions in flash flood territory.

 

[nolatron]

Topic reminded me of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azV5bC2br-Q

Not that this happens all the time.