Which specific line segments are included in the Force Majeure notice?
The track conditions affected service to all mines on the Joint Line. The derailments occurred between Coal Creek Jct. and Shawnee Jct. Inspections in the wake of the derailments revealed unstable track conditions due to the accumulation of coal dust combined with unusually heavy precipitation. Muddy ballast and poor drainage on the Joint Line resulted in broken ties, out-of-gauge rails, undermined switches and damaged track structure on bridges. BNSF, the railroad charged with the responsibility for maintaining the Joint Line, issued extensive slow orders to prevent similar derailments and initiated emergency repairs. This chart reflects how extensive the slow orders were on a typical day. The slow orders and track restoration work have reduced train velocity and line capacity on the Joint Line. Operations of SPRB coal trains beyond the Joint Line are also affected because the disrupted Joint Line operations cause bunching of trains and delays of empty trains for another load with cor
