Steel Bridge Closed Fully Following Freight Train Derailment, HazMat Crew Called In

A freight train derailed around 6:00 Monday morning, resulting in the closure of the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon, just in time for rush hour.

Six cars from the Union Pacific freight train were involved in the accident, according to KPTV — two empty lumber cars that were completely derailed, and four others that only partially came off the track.

KPTV’s Karli Olson reported that one of the cars was leaning against a structural support column of the Steel Bridge, and that Portland Fire and Rescue said its stability would have to be assessed by engineers before the bridge would be reopened.

HazMat teams were also on site to “help determine the contents of train cars.” No hazardous materials were yet reported to have been involved in the crash, but that assessment remained ongoing.

According to a report from KVAL, Union Pacific said that all the cars involved were empty, but it was unclear whether the railroad was referring to both cars that were fully derailed or all six involved in the incident.

Six train cars were derailed on the east side of the Steel Bridge, according to Portland Fire and Rescue. Crews working to figure out if there are any hazardous materials on board. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/udi673u7Nl

— Karli Olson (@olson_karli) April 29, 2024

PF&R also said that no injuries had been reported in the crash.

“The bridge is completely closed to all train, vehicle, and pedestrian traffic,” KPTV reported. “A section of the Eastbank Esplanade near the bridge is also closed to pedestrian traffic.”

The station also noted that several lines of the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District were “disrupted” because of the bridge closure, so commuters were encouraged to use bus service for the time being.

Willamette River traffic was also being affected, according to a statement from PF&R spokesman Lt. Laurent Picard.

“The issue here is that one of the fully derailed cars is leaning against a support column of the bridge, so out of an abundance of caution, we closed down the entire bridge to all modes of traffic,” Picard told KVAL. “An additional issue is the bridge can’t be raised, obviously, so it’s going to affect the traffic of vessels on the Willamette River as well.”

“At about 8:15 a.m. CDT, approximately five Union Pacific train cars derailed near the east end of the Union Pacific Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon,” Union Pacific said in a statement cited by KSAZ. “The train cars are empty. Clean up is underway, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.”

The Portland Police Bureau told KGW that the bridge was expected to remained closed for at least “several hours.”

“This is the hardest working bridge in the city,” Picard told KVAL. “It takes TriMet, multiple rail lines, light rail, cars, pedestrians, so there’s really no other bridge in the city that has as many modes of transportation across it.

“So it’s definitely a significant incident,” he added.

KSAZ noted that Steel Bridge, a vertical lift bridge, was over a century old, having been opened in 1912.

It is owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad, according to KOIN.