The California Dept of Forestry (CDF) temporarily suspended BNSF and UP train traffic between Verdemont and Cajon, California on Monday due to wildfires.

At one point on Monday afternoon, BNSF had fifteen trains stopped between Summit and Barstow, although the CDF later permitted conditional movement of trains through this area. Yesterday, BNSF expected transit delays of at least 24 hours for all cargo moving to and from Southern California.

BNSF has Maintenance of Way and Train Operations teams on site to continuously monitor the wildfire danger and to develop service recovery plans. Should CDF again shut down the rail line due to fire, BNSF’s operating plan is to hold trains on rail sidings at Seligman, Arizona and Gallup, New Mexico. Trains will be released for movement as soon as the CDF allows trains to move to and from Southern California marine terminals.