EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- A fire in a Eugene-area railroad tunnel that has disrupted passenger service between the Northwest and California for the last eight days is finally out.
A spokesman for Union Pacific said train service was expected to resume Monday.
The fire, apparently caused by sparks from a train or exhaust, also delayed freight for West Coast shippers. Crews had difficulty fighting it, because of steep terrain; the tunnel is on a high mountain pass.
As many as 20 trains a day use the Union Pacific-owned tunnel 33 miles east of Oakridge.
Freight trains were rerouted last week, and Amtrak halted Coast Starlight passenger service in both directions between Oakland, Calif., and Eugene.
On Friday, Amtrak started shuttling passengers by bus between Eugene and Klamath Falls, matching the Coast Starlight's schedule. More than 1,200 passengers a day travel some portion of the route between Los Angeles and Seattle.
The fire is the second to close a key Oregon-to-California tunnel in nine months. A November fire closed a timber-lined tunnel south of Medford owned by Central Oregon Pacific Railroad. That tunnel is not expected to reopen until October.
