Boulders block tracks: Line near West Glacier reopened after four hours
<p>BNSF Railway workers clear boulders off the tracks near West Glacier on Tuesday. A westbound train had just passed through before the boulders fell on the tracks. (Chris Peterson/Hungry Horse News)</p><p></p>
No trains were damaged or derailed when several large boulders fell onto the BNSF Railway tracks about two miles east of West Glacier at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.
BNSF spokesman Matt Jones said crews had the boulders off the tracks and the line reopened by 8:45 p.m. Crews used a large crane to remove the rocks.
The boulders, one nearly the size of a dump truck, slid off a nearby slope and went through a retaining fence onto the tracks.
The slide was discovered by a BNSF employee.
A witness told the Hungry Horse News that a westbound freight train had just passed through the area when the slide occurred.
Train traffic was temporarily halted until the tracks were cleared.
More slides are possible this weekend when heavy rain is forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy precipitation is predicted in Northwest Montana Saturday night through early Monday with snow levels around 7,000 to 8,000 feet for the bulk of the storm Sunday.
“The moderate to heavy rainfall could produce rockslides on area roadways,” particularly slide-prone areas of U.S. 2, the Weather Service said.
“Small creeks and rivers will see rises in flow, but flooding is not expected at this time,” the Weather Service concluded.