Amtrak service at the Denair station will return to normal operation on Friday, five days after a massive freight train derailment tore apart tracks and buildings.
The derailment occurred at approximately 4:56 p.m. Sunday, when a Burlington Northern SantaFe Railway freight train came off the tracks near the intersection of North Santa Fe Avenue and East Zeering Road in Denair. Many cargo containers were thrown off the track and some buildings were destroyed, but none were injured.
Amtrak's service will resume with northbound train #711, which travels from Bakersfield to Oakland. The train is scheduled to depart the Denair station at 8:09 a.m. Friday.
Since the Sunday accident, Amtrak has employed a “bus bridge” to bypass the Denair station. Passengers disembark at the Merced station and are then bussed to the Modesto station where a different Amtrak train is waiting – or vice versa.
Amtrak is offering refunds or vouchers for future travel to passengers who bought tickets but decided not to travel following the derailment. Some online reservations can be modified by visiting Amtrak.com or using Amtrak's mobile app.
The stretch of rail reopened to freight train traffic at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, using newly repaired siding tracks to bypass the devastated main railway. The main line reopened at approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
For more information, call (800) USA-RAIL, or visit Amtrak.com/alerts.
