BNSF Railway crews completed emergency bridge reconstruction and restored rail service on the Plainview Subdivision near Amarillo, Texas, less than one week after a wildfire destroyed the structure.
The first train crossed the new bridge early Friday morning.
The bridge was destroyed during the Hunggate Fire on May 15, which burned approximately 14,000 acres in Randall County and prompted evacuations and road closures in the area, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. BNSF rerouted traffic while engineering teams cleared the site and rebuilt the crossing.
The Hunggate Fire, likely sparked by lightning, consumed the bridge west of Canyon and disrupted operations on the busy freight line.
In a statement posted to X, BNSF Railway shared the following:
“This photo may not look like much, but it represents our unwavering commitment to safety and service for our customers. After a fire destroyed a bridge on BNSF’s Plainview Subdivision near Amarillo, Texas, last Thursday night, crews immediately began recovery efforts. Traffic over the bridge was rerouted in the meantime. In less than a week, engineering teams cleared the site, rebuilt the bridge and restored service safely. Early this morning, the first train crossed the new structure.”
BNSF officials confirmed that the subdivision was taken out of service immediately after the bridge was lost. Customers continued to receive service through alternative routing during the rebuild.
No injuries were reported in connection with the bridge fire or reconstruction efforts. The Hunggate Fire was reported to be between 30% and 40% contained as of May 15, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
BNSF has not released additional details on the exact cost of the rebuild or long-term structural changes to the new bridge, per Fox 4 KDFW.
This incident marks the latest challenge for rail infrastructure in wildfire-prone areas of the Texas Panhandle.
