Train derails west of La Grande
Published 2:00 pm Friday, February 28, 2025
- Eleven empty freight railcars went off the tracks west of La Grande on Feb. 27, 2025, near the Interstate 84 Exit 259. No one was injured and there were no hazardous materials involved.
LA GRANDE — A late night train derailment west of La Grande left 11 single-stack freight shipping container railcars off the tracks.
The railcars were empty and derailed around 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, near Interstate 84 and Orodell Boulevard, according to a statement from Union Pacific Railroad. Union County Emergency Manager Nick Vora said the derailment was near the I-84 Exit 259.
The cause of the derailment is under investigation, according to Union Pacific. The railroad reported there were no injuries and no hazardous materials involved.
Union Pacific management communicated with Union County 911 Dispatch and Vora throughout the evening about the incident. Oregon State Police, Union County Sheriff’s Office, La Grande Police and Union County Emergency Services all responded.
Parked railroad cars blocked crossings at Fir and Greenwood streets in La Grande while UP conducted its investigation.
Not the first time
Five railcars went off the tracks in downtown La Grande in March 2023. Several railroad crossings throughout the downtown corridor were closed for an extended period, but all five remained standing after the incident and none were carrying hazardous materials.
Prior to the 2023 incident there hadn’t been a derailment in Union County since 2013 when 27 cars and one locomotive derailed near Hot Lake Springs on Highway 203. In that crash, approximately 100 gallons of diesel spilled. While there were no hazardous spills found and no injuries reported, around a dozen residences and people staying at nearby accommodations were evacuated.
Also, in 2015, 10 cars jumped the tracks in a narrow canyon in the Blue Mountains on an embankment overlooking Meacham Creek in Umatilla County.
One car was carrying residual liquefied petroleum gas, and another was loaded with approximately 20,000 gallons of a compound to make glues and sealants. No hazardous materials leaked.
That derailment happened 2.5 miles northeast of Meacham, away from homes. The land surrounding the railroad’s right-of-way is owned by a ranching corporation.
