SUV crash closes viaduct lanes

The driver walked out of his Range Rover after it struck a column near Washington Street in Pioneer Square. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, a Seattle Fire Department supervisor said. Police did not release his name.

A chunk of the viaduct, as well the vehicle's window-washer fluid reservoir, flew through a window and landed inside a nearby apartment, while debris fell on a half-dozen cars parked below.

Freight-train traffic resumes

Freight trains were moving again Sunday morning in Eastern Washington after a freight train derailed Saturday morning and blocked rail traffic between Portland and Spokane.

Freight traffic resumed at 6:45 a.m. Sunday, said Gus Melonas, spokesman for BNSF Railway, which owns the tracks.

Melonas said Amtrak service between Portland and Spokane would resume its normal schedule today.

Three cars packed with furniture ran off the tracks about 45 miles west of Spokane around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. No one was injured, and the cause remained under investigation.

The route serves 45 trains daily, most of them freight, Melonas said.

It was the second derailment in the area in 10 days. Last weekend, a four-car Amtrak passenger derailed near Sprague, about an eighth of a mile west of Saturday's accident. The locomotive and cars remained upright, and there were no injuries.

Seattle

Passenger-train service canceled

Mudslides canceled passenger-train service in the area again Sunday.

Train service has been canceled several times this winter as heavy rains caused mudslides. Freight trains are allowed on the tracks after a mudslide has been cleared, but passenger trains must wait 48 hours to be sure the tracks are safe.

Amtrak Cascades trains south of Seattle are canceled through tonight. Service north of Seattle is canceled through this afternoon. The rail line is offering alternative transportation from Seattle to Portland and Vancouver, B.C.

Two other trains' schedules are changed because of slides: The Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight will originate and terminate in Portland instead of Seattle through today. The Chicago-Seattle Empire Builder will originate and terminate in Everett instead of Seattle through today.

Times staff and news services