WAUWATOSA, Wis. — CPKC’s main line across Wisconsin has reopened after being closed Satuday night by torrential rains, disrupting freight and Amtrak operations.
Locations near Milwaukee reported as much as 14.5 inches of rain between Saturday evening and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to WISN-TV. Wauwatosa, Wis., just west of Milwaukee, reported 7.15 inches; there, the Menomonee River overflowed its banks, with water flowing across the CPKC main line. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, crews were working to clear debris where the rail line crosses the river in downtown Wauwatosa, where water was still at the height of the bridge.
The line was reopened late Sunday night.
The eastbound Empire Builder, which had been held for several hours Sunday at the Duplainville crossing with Canadian National in Pewaukee, Wis., was eventually terminated there, with passengers bused the remainer of the route and the train deadheaded into Chicago. The westbound Builder departed Milwaukee at 12:02 a.m. today (Aug. 11) after being held for more than seven hours, then suffered another delay in Columbus, Wis., for recrewing after its crew reached its hours-of-service limit. As of 8 a.m., it had just left Wisconsin Dells, Wis., some 13 hours, 17 minutes late.
Sunday’s Borealis trains were also disrupted. The eastbound train was terminated in Pewaukee, with passengers bused to Milwaukee and Chicago, while the westbound train used a bus bridge to get passengers from Milwaukee to Pewaukee, where the earlier eastbound train was turned. That train ended up arriving in Minneapolis-St. Paul at 1:24 a.m. today, 6 hours, 28 minutes late.
— Updated at 7:50 p.m. CT with later information on status of Amtrak trains; updated Aug. 11 at 87:40 a.m. CT with line reopened and revised Amtrak information.
