Mudslide shuts down Schuster Parkway and halts train service between Portland and Seattle
A landslide closed Schuster Parkway on Friday afternoon and shut down train service between Seattle and Portland.
The slide occurred around 1:30 p.m., according to Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool.
Mud came down in the vicinity of Old Town. It took out a guard rail and slopped across the road and onto Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks. Tracks are flooded but freight rail was still using them Friday evening.
Amtrak stopped service between Seattle and Portland and placed a moratorium on train travel through the area until 9 a.m. Sunday, according to an advisory from the train company. The closure affects both Cascades and Starlight trains.
Heavy rain has fallen across the region since Thursday.
Sound Transit’s Sounder service, which doesn’t use the route, is unaffected by the closure, said spokesman Scott Thompson. However, Sounder trains are running behind schedule due to weather.
Amtrak said alternative transportation will be provided between Seattle and Portland.
Traffic diverted through the Stadium District and Old Town was snarling streets Friday afternoon.
This story was originally published December 20, 2019 at 5:57 PM.
